Chapter 1: CHAPTER 001(Doctor and Adventurer) 10
I recommend reading the auxiliary chapter 'World Info' before starting the story. 6
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk 1
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START– 9
–Japan, Tokyo, Flevance St, The Heart Clinic… 15
Approaching midnight the streets in this area were always bustling. In the most crime-riddled area of the capital city, with gangs and villains always roaming about in the shadows these streets were never safe. 3
All but one place that is, The Heart Clinic. A three-story apartment building owned by a young couple who moved here a few years ago. Transforming this building into a lifeline for the dregs of society. 3
The one place where villains, gang members, and anyone who simply couldn't use legitimate means could go to get anything from a few stitches to a full surgery properly done, no questions asked. 1
Because of this, the entirety of this particular stretch of Flevance street is considered sacred ground. Any gang or villain who causes problems in this little area suddenly has to deal with every criminal from miles around hunting them down. 13
Because nobody wants the only doctor that doesn't ask questions to skip town because of stray bullets flying too close to them. 31
The small sign on the door, a white square with a curved heart outline in black, that's the only lifeline people in this area have, and they're willing to kill to protect it. 4
Sitting on a clean metal chair a plain-looking Japanese woman leans back with her eyes closed as her doctor works on her.
Her top was already in the bin to be burned, soaked in blood from the two bullet holes in her left side, at the very edge of her torso barely missing anything important.
"Never thought I'd see you bleed," the doctor said. A thin caucasian -Italian-man with blonde hair and a pronounced smile. Patiently and expertly working on the woman. "Kiku the untouchable finally takes a hit," he jokes bitterly, much to her annoyance. 6
"Had to happen eventually," she says weakly, "that's why I married a doctor." 1
He chuckles quietly in response, "knew you kept me around for something. But I didn't think a judge had guards that could hit you, what happened?" he asks while passing her a glass of whisky. 7
"The judge didn't," she pushes away the glass and leans back into the chair. "Got a message from Re-Destro on the way back into the country, open contract on the Yaoyorozu head, couldn't pass on a paycheck like that," she says with a bitter smile. 7
"So the son finally got sick of the old man not playing along."
"Something had to give, and we got paid," Kiku says.
"So Yaoyorozu's guards. Makes sense, that much money, the old man could have hired anyone."
"They were better than most, still garbage."
"They hit you," he pokes.
"They weren't good," she snaps for a moment before calming down. "I was…distracted, got some news this morning, that's all," she says quietly. 1
"Well I hope it was worth it," he finishes stitching her up and bandaging her side. "Two more inches to the side and I would have lost you."
"Lost us, you would've lost us," she corrects the now stunned doctor. 12
Freezing for a moment Corazon silently pulls Kiku in for a tight hug, "we're having a baby!" the young doctor announces happily. 21
"Ow ow ow ow!" the woman pushes him away. In his excitement he forgot about her new wound.
"Sorry sorry," he quickly holds out a hand to her and activates his quirk. Blue light radiates from his hand and passes through her body, barely large enough to cover her wound, delivering all the information about her physical state into his mind. 1
"How is it?" Kiku asks.
"You'll be fine," he moves the light over to her belly and focuses extra hard for a few seconds. "And you'll be fine too," he says to his undeveloped child. 11
–END CHAPTER
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Chapter 2: CHAPTER 002(Law Matani)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
–4 Years Old…
"I feel different…but nothing's happening…" Law mutters sadly.
At four years old and only ever being homeschooled by his parents, the extremely sheltered and protected Law Matani was shirtless with unkempt short hair, waving his arms around and punching the air, trying and failing to activate his quirk. 4
"Hmm," his father Dr. Corazon taps his chin and studies the child. "Hold still," he says before reaching down and using his Scanner quirk on Law. "Your body changed, you certainly have a quirk factor and more mitochondria per cell than you did yesterday. Try this," Corazon places his hand out with his hand facing Law, slowly flowing through the motion of activating his quirk. 17
"Mmm," Law copies the motion and focuses, but nothing happens. As he's about to cry his father speaks up.
"Maybe you got Kiku's quirk, do this instead," Corazon swings his hand in a Rock-Paper-Scissors motion.
Copying his father Law does the action and is disappointed to find his hand hasn't changed into a weapon like his mother's.
He's seen his mother training before, with her Arsenal quirk she can reshape her limbs into weapons, everything from swords to high-power rifles with high-tech scopes. 19
Getting frustrated Law continues shaking his hands up and down, waving them around more and more angrily.
Seeing his son about to cry Corazon frowns and reaches out, holding the boy still and seizing his attention.
"Law, that's enough," Corazon says.
"B-but, my quirk…my quirk."
"It doesn't matter what your quirk is," his father says. "You're my son and that already makes you better than everyone else, even if you were quirkless that wouldn't change." 8
"But," Law stares down at the floor and balls his fists at his sides. "You and mom are always using your quirks, I wanted to be like that too, to help you two." 2
"Hmph," Corazon smiles proudly at his son. "If that's all you want then you certainly don't need a quirk. It helps but you don't need it to be an adventurer like your mom. And you definitely don't need it to be a doctor." 14
"But it helps," Law argues.
"Yeah it helps, but no matter how strong a quirk is all it could ever make you is one of those silly heroes or villains in this society, but even All Might can't reach into hell and bring someone back," Corazon smiles, swelling with pride. "But we can do that," he reaches out a hand for his son to take. "I can teach you everything I know and make you the closest thing to a god." 23
"To be a god," Law mutters, mostly to himself, seeing his father in an entirely new light. Reaching out and taking his hand Law gives a joyous smile, "yeah, teach me!" he cheers loudly. 27
"Hahaha," Corazon picks his son up and twirls him around. "I'll start planning all the extra lessons you need from tonight!"
"HUH?!" Law's joyous mood immediately becomes shocked. 3
And so the road to being the world's best doctor began.
–5 Years Old…
"Are you really qualified to be doing this?" A man covered in scrapes and bruises asks Law. Sitting on a metal chair the young boy is carefully removing half a dozen bullets from the man's leg. 4
"Don't talk," Law says through his surgical mask. Wearing a smaller version of hospital scrubs and a surgical mask, looking like a kid playing dress-up as he carefully removes the first bullet. 2
"I'm just not sure how comfortable I feel with-AHHHH!" the man screams out in pain as Law presses his thumb onto the now empty bullet wound. 1
"I said shut up," the child snaps at his patient, earning a sheepish look from the grown man as he goes back to work. "I don't want a bank robber with super-speed who somehow got shot questioning my competence." 58
The man just looks away, feeling the sting from the child's words. 6
"Hahaha," Corazon laughs as he pulls the Antibacterial Curtains aside and enters the work area, wearing the same outfit as his son. "That's right gotta keep these patients in line," the man says as he moves to take a seat not far away. Having just finished with his own patient, a member of the same heist team who also got shot, he's now here to check on his son.
"Are they gonna be ok?" the patient asks Corazon.
"You morons will be fine," Corazon casually waves away the man's concern. "That new hero showed up huh, Snipe?"
"Yeah," the man mutters. "His bullets home in on targets, pretty much beats my speed quirk in a dash every time." 19
Hearing both the men converse Law tries to focus on his work but struggles to ignore them. He makes it to the fifth bullet hole and raises his scalpel.
'Just a little more,' he thinks to himself as he cuts down.
As he's about to make the last main incision, for the first time his quirk activates. His vision goes blue as if looking through thin glass. Moving the scalpel he barely shifts a few centimeters and to his horror, his patient's entire leg is cut off. 1
"What?!" he cries out in shock.
The patient doesn't even feel the cut, where the blood would normally be flowing freely is a seemingly invisible wall allowing the insides to be seen without disrupting them at all, preventing any pain or real injury. Effectively separating the leg by space instead of truly damaging it.
Both men finally notice what's going on as they look on the floor to see the leg just resting there with one more bullet hole that needs attending. 1
"A–" the patient is instantly silenced as Corazon immediately pulls out his taser and zaps him unconscious, a handy device for any doctor who deals with criminals.
"Law?" the doctor calmly asks, seeing his son frozen in shock at what he'd done. "Law why don't you let me deal with this and you get cleaned up, your mom should be coming home from her job tonight remember…"
Law lifelessly nods, still in shock, and silently leaves the room.
As the child leaves Corazon picks up the leg and moves it over to an operating table. With no hesitation he takes out a scalpel and makes two larges incisions.
Seeing the cuts appearing normally he puts the scalpel down and feels the area where Law had separated the leg from the patient. He sees the bone surrounded by all the flesh and muscle, blood still flowing through veins as if the body were still attached. 3
He presses his finger toward the bone, but notices that there seems to be an invisible wall preventing the blood and other pieces from falling out of the open 'wound'.
'Hmm, it bleeds normally when I cut it so he didn't modify the patient's body. The point where it's separated isn't bleeding out and seems to be sealed by some kind of void space. The pulse is still flowing which means technically it's still connected to the main body as well, what an incredible quirk…' 2
As Corazon finishes studying the limb the patient begins to stir awake causing the doctor to sigh.
'Can't have this information getting out,' he thinks as he saunters over to a locked cupboard and fiddles with the combination lock. Removing a small syringe of clear fluid he walks over to the man and stabs him in the jugular, with no emotion in his eyes he floods his bloodstream with death. 10
"Too bad those bullet wounds cracked your spine, huh, you almost made it too, oh well…" he shrugs and begins to clean up… 19
Taking the leg he carries it over to the body, and with no resistance, it reattaches the moment he pushes the pieces together. The division that separated the pieces is entirely gone, as if it was never detached in the first place.
His eyes widen in surprise yet again as he feels the area where the separation was. "Can't even tell anything happened here," he mutters, clear wonder in his voice. 2
Corazon carefully cleans up while mulling over the quirk he just witnessed. Working with thousands of villains with all manner of quirks he'd never seen anything like that.
"A quirk that lets you freely manipulate other people like that, pull them apart, and put them back together at will. All without their consent as well, it really is perfect for a doctor," Corazon smiles, and looks down at his hands. 13
He can't help but laugh as the absurdity sinks in.
"All these centuries we surgeons were said to have the closest thing to a hand of God…and my son really has the Hand Of God," his laughter spreads throughout the room, the last thing the dying patient hears as the poison takes effect… 18
END CHAPTER–
Waifu votes here please, noticed nobody made any requests in the auxiliary chapter and I'm still undecided :( 99
CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
–And thus the god complex begins…
–His dad begins training him to be a surgeon from super young…
–Quirk Name: Hand Of God, because devil fruits arent a thing here…
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Chapter 3: CHAPTER 003(The Matani's Last Supper) 6
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
–7 Years Old… 5
In the same operating room where Law first used Hand Of God, lies an unconscious woman, her body missing the top half of her head as the oxygen mask placed over her mouth keeps her unconscious, but very much alive. The same invisible barrier of space rests at the point of separation from her body. 7
At the other end of the room at a metal desk sits Law with the top of her head still very much alive in front of him.
With his father looking over his shoulder, "Amputate," Law commands while he carefully cuts her head down the middle, splitting her skull and brainstem in one swift motion. Once again harmlessly dividing her body.
"There it is," Corazon says as he points to the blinking little bead attached to her brainstem. 2
Focusing on the bead law raises his hand in a grasping motion, placing a little vial of water beside the head he focuses on both the water and the bead.
"Shambles," he commands. A single drop of water swaps places with the bead, dropping the blinking bead into her vial and placing a harmless drop of water on her brainstem. 14
Releasing a tired sigh Law wipes the sweat from his brow. This was the final surgery of a very long day, the seventh bomb he's removed from a person's head in a row. 8
Looking around he focuses and sees the bubble enveloping the room. A faint blue tinge hung in the air that was only visible to him.
"Room," he commands and the bubble seems to pop.
ROOM is the basis of his quirk, all his other techniques must be performed within this operating room, however, some effects will persist outside of this ROOM. The ROOM cannot exist without Law being inside.
The size of his ROOM as well as how long it persists is entirely determined by his stamina, there is no other limit. No material can block it, no quirk can resist it, and no other person can perceive it. 35
SHAMBLES is a technique that allows him to freely substitute the positions of any items within his ROOM. Effectively allowing him to warp around anywhere he wants as long as there is something to swap with. 7
Working together both men reassemble the woman, quickly undoing the effects of his first technique.
AMPUTATE, is a technique that ignores all physical resistances and divides space itself to cut matter. This technique does no harm to living things however and can be extended as far as his room reaches, although he requires a bladed tool to use this. 20
After putting the woman back together his father scans her. While less effective than Law's SCAN technique which can pinpoint anything within his ROOM depending on his awareness, or allows him to target a particular organ within a person if he's making contact while scanning them. 2
Corazon took the lead in the final checkup as Law was already tired from constantly making ROOMs today.
"She's perfectly fine," his father said. "You know your quirk really is a miracle. Of all the people in this world, I do believe you're the one that can become a god, all these new techniques always showing up. I couldn't be happier, and you're learning medicine so quickly too, now that really makes me proud." 27
"I still have a long way to go, I can only operate on certain organs without you supervising me, brain surgery would have been impossible without you," Law says. 8
"You're still young, you've got time," his father removes his gloves and ruffles Law's hair. "Why don't you go see what your mom made for dinner while I deal with this," he gestures to the unconscious woman. "Remember we don't want people seeing your face."
"Right, don't take too long," Law says as he removes his gloves and leaves to get cleaned up.
Watching his son leave Corazon looks at the little vial on the desk still containing the explosive bead. Something that would have been impossible to remove without the phasing quirk that placed it there, "yeah, you're gonna be on top of the world son…" 2
–9 Years Old…
CLANG!
On a highrise rooftop in Hosu city Law and his mother, Kiku, clash blades. 16
The professional Adventurer, as she prefers to call herself, educates her son in the art of combat while his father handles more academic pursuits.
"Faster!" she demands as she parries another of his sword strikes. "Your quirk gives you an absurd boost to spatial awareness, use it and increase your reaction time. You can get it close to zero with enough training." 11
While Law was covered in sweat and panting heavily, she was as calm as ever without a worry on her face. He holds his sword out -a perfectly straight short saber reminiscent of a scalpel-and accepts her challenge while she simply has her right hand in the form of a greatsword and gives him a bored look. 8
Spinning on his heel Law turns his back to her and slashes forward, slashing at empty space.
'Shambles,' he mentally commands, no longer needing the crutch of saying his intent out loud to activate his quirk. 4
He and Kiku instantly swap places. For the briefest instant, her eyes widen before she spins on her heel and easily parries his strike. 3
"Not bad," she complements while locking blades with him. "But this isn't a sword duel," she says before punching him in the face, knocking him onto his back. 2
"Ow," he groans while rubbing his face.
Kiku sighs and helps him up, dusting him off slightly. "Law, in this world the only thing that matters is power. Most of society isn't allowed to use quirks because the people in charge know this is true. They can't control everyone, so I need you to focus more on the combat applications of your quirk for when you need it, alright?" 16
"Alright…"
"The sooner you learn this the better. In this world there is no good or evil, there are no heroes and villains. The strong decide those things, they decide the labels and rules. The weak don't even get to choose how they die, you have to be the strong," she says in a serious tone. 45
As they take a break Law walks over to their backpack and takes out two burgers, handing one to his mother. 1
Sitting with their legs hanging off the top of the building they look out over the peaceful mid-day city.
"What do you think I need to work on more?" Law asks his mom as they're having lunch.
"Hmm," she thinks about it for a moment. "Well, you're already past the first hurdle. See most people either don't or can't legally encourage their kids to use their quirk as much as possible, especially not as much as we do because, well, laws. That's usually the first roadblock and you're comfortable enough to instinctively use your quirk anywhere and any time. Now you need to work on combat sense and the size of your ROOM. Covering a few buildings won't be enough if shit hits the fan after all." 37
"Mhm, so just keep pushing my limits, I can do that," Law says. 8
"Yeah but have fun too, maybe get a girlfriend? Not that I don't like you being more mature than a lot of people but what's the point of all the fighting if you end up alone," she leans over and pulls him into a hug. "That's why I have you and your dad." 13
"Mm, I rather just stay in the clinic," Law decides. 8
"Tch, you're gonna be one lonely god huh," Kiku says as her phone beeps. "That's our signal." 18
Raising a hand to her face she covers both her eyes. Activating her quirk her hand seems to flatten before two holes appear, one in her palm and the other in her fingers to form high-powered scopes.
Looking at the city below she sees her target.
A tall and bald man in a three-piece suit with bodyguards surrounding him. Walking at his side is his trophy wife with their five-year-old daughter between them holding both their hands. 5
"Gotcha," she says. "Pass me a round." 4
Without looking Law reaches into their day pack and passes her a four-inch-long, .50 caliber bullet. 8
"Thanks," she says as she holds it in her hands. Making a squeezing motion both her arms shift and twist into a massive rifle with a high-powered scope. "Contract calls for this to be messy, oh well," she says as she aims.
"Can I get the next one?" Law asks. 3
"Mmm," she considers it for a moment, "what the hell, you're already nine, gotta get your feet wet at some point…" 27
"Yesss!" he cheers, finally feeling like he'd be able to really contribute to her work.
"Just in case, and I'll be choosing all your targets alright, can't afford any slip-ups," she takes a deep breath. "1500 meters on a crowded street in broad daylight, you know what most people call that?" asks says as she exhales.
"Impossible," Law says, "but for us, it's just another Monday," he laughs. 3
"Damn right…" 1
Focusing her mind she gently squeezes the trigger, firing between her heartbeats to silence her targets'.
With no issue the bullet tears through the air and one of his guards before hollowing out the man's chest in front of his family, painting them all red.
Watching through his binoculars Law doesn't even flinch, over the years of being a surgeon and her spotter he's quite used to the sight of blood.
As the round is released the bullet shell pops out of her rifle as her hands shift back, slight red spot on her forearms from the heat of the shell.
"Takt," Law catches the casing before it falls to the streets below them and stores it in their backpack. 1
TAKT is his equivalent to telekinesis or gravity control, although it operates more vaguely as simply manipulating space, allowing him to even move liquids or simply command it in an area to raise a pile of sand instead of focusing on every grain. However larger objects need more specific focus and consume more energy. He also cannot directly move himself with this technique. 19
Placing a hand on her shoulder arm where the injury is he focuses on her, "Booster Shot." 12
She feels a small adrenaline surge as he removes his hand, and the sore sport completely heals as if it were never there.
Booster Shot was a more recent development, allowing him to convert his own stamina into healing for others, or to use it on himself to heal. If he uses it on a person or himself without needing any healing, it instead gives a physical boost proportional to the stamina consumed. 22
Getting ready to leave the roof as sirens start blaring and heroes rush to the scene, the duo casually enters the elevator and descends to the lobby.
Kiku still rubs where her arm was stinging from the recoil and heat, thankful for her son's healing technique. Unlike Lady Nagant, while Kiku can make any weapon her flesh is only reinforced to a certain extent, she also can't separate body parts, therefore, making and firing ammunition is impossible with only her quirk, which leads to her preferring close-range fights overall. 1
"So your birthday is coming up, anything you want?" Kiku asks as they walk down the street, ignoring the fleet of emergency vehicles passing by. 1
"Obsidian scalpels, maybe a new sword?" Law answers immediately. 13
Kiku sighs, "sure, but how about you also pick something outside of medicine or training. I know those are your first loves but it's ok to branch off a bit and have fun."
"Hmmm," Law ponders it for a minute as they round the corner to their car. "What about a skateboard?" 9
"Obsidian scalpels, a new sword, and a skateboard, that's easy enough," Kiku muses as they make their way home. 1
–15 Years Old… 10
Law had grown up quite a bit in the last few years, they suspect the mutations in his body -extra mitochondria in each cell-are what caused his height to shoot past both his parents. While they both stood at 177cm -5ft10 inches-, Law was already at 183cm, just a hair over six feet tall. 62
His body was well defined, muscular but mean, clearly he was someone who enjoyed weight lifting but could also go for a long run whenever he felt like it. His skin was slightly tanned, an extremely light brown hue, partly his natural complexion, and partly from how he spends his free time. 22
But likely the most startling feature is the bluish-white eyes that seem to look past everything in front of him. 29
Sitting around the dinner table Law gladly digs into his Katsudon, a deep-fried pork cutlet on a bed of fried eggs atop a spread of white rice. 1
Beside his plate is a small glass of whisky. 4
Both Kiku and Corazon have the exact same meal, a birthday and holiday tradition in their little family. Which is why they were eating it tonight, April 3rd, Law's 15th birthday. 9
This is what they ate the night they made Law and started their family, so they decided it should become a tradition. 3
"So who is she?" Kiku asks. 2
Law chokes on his rice for a moment, reaching for his glass to wash it down. "What?"
"The girl you snuck out of here this morning, she forgot her jacket," Kiku says with a bored look.
"Just some girl I met a few days ago, it's nothing serious," Law says. 6
"Another useless pretty face huh, why can't you just find a nice girl that you'll actually keep around for a change?" Kiku berates him. 3
"Ugh, why would I ever do that, I'm fourteen and I've got money and power, that means the world is just full of options for me," Law boasts. 21
"You sound just like your father, but he changed his tune when he met the right woman," Kiku says with a prideful smile. 1
"Mhm," Corazon nods. "Then I started a family and it was honestly the best thing to ever happen to me." 9
"Have you at least considered taking the actual medical license exam?" Kiku asks. "You know we have connections to get you in there, you'd easily pass and then we'd actually have a trusted license in the house, maybe even make the clinic legit."
"I don't know, I don't think I want to get involved in government stuff. What we're doing now works so why change it anyway."
"I'm just suggesting options, you've got your whole life ahead of you still no need to choose now," Kiku says.
"Well…" Law trails off nervously, "there actually is a job I was looking at."
Both his parents give him a strange look before his father speaks, "what job?"
"A simple hit." 3
"Law," Kiku narrows her eyes at him. "We've been over this." 2
"I've been watching you for a decade, studying constantly and practicing, just let me do one for once," he argues.
Narrowing her eyes at him Kiku silently considers all their options.
"If I say no will you do it anyway?"
"Yeah."
"Sigh, did you properly check the sources?"
"Of course."
"Where is it?"
"Only one district over."
"Target?"
"Some lawyer, works for an oil company." 2
"Pay?"
"Two million dollars," Law says.
Kiku frowns and looks over at her husband.
Corazon shakes his head, "if he's going anyway then I'd feel better with both of you there…"
"Damn it, fine, when?"
"He has a case tomorrow afternoon…" 3
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
still open to suggestions and ideas for this story since only the 1st volume is completed :) 5
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Chapter 4: A/N
Upload schedule: Every weekday
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pat.reon (5 Chapters Ahead) : Keanu_Eugene
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Chapter 5: CHAPTER 004(Ambush)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Law stood in the hotel room staring out the large windows. Fifteen floors up all he has to do is make one precise shot and this job would be done. 1
On the bed rests his sword, a sleek 120cm -4ft-long white saber, completely straight and razor-thin, custom made to simulate the feel of a scalpel, a tungsten-carbon alloy perfect for his needs. The hilt was rectangular and matched the blade perfectly, white with black accents. 12
"You ready?" Kiku asks.
"Of course," Law takes his sword and draws it from the white scabbard.
Lining it up with a painting on the wall he activated his quirk.
'ROOM'
A tiny invisible ROOM reaches the painting but no further, just barely touching the ink.
"Injection shot," he says quietly. Lining up the blade to where he wants, a bullet of invisible force slams into the ink but goes no further than his room's limits. 5
"You really got all the good stuff…" his mom mutters. An invisible and silent bullet, perfect for these types of missions as it can either harm inorganic objects, no matter how physically tough they are, or bypass physical defenses and do exclusively internal damage to organics.
"Your stuff isn't bad mom… I'm just that much better," he says with a cocky grin.
"Oh yeah?"
"Ach-" she smacked Law on the head. "Alright alright." 14
As Law frowns and rubs his head Kiku looks at the wall clock, "It's almost five, he should be leaving the office soon, get ready."
"Right," Law walks toward the tinted window as she hands him a pair of binoculars. Looking down at the crowded street. Two lanes of light traffic but dozens of people on the sidewalk, either going home or to their evening plans.
Focusing on the door he expects his target to be leaving soon Law keeps his eyes locked, ready to activate his quirk and get another clean job under his belt.
"Breakdown?" Kiku asks over his shoulder, her eyes transformed into high-powered scopes to help locate the target.
"Mom you know tha–"
"Don't care," she cuts him off. "Doesn't matter how many jobs you've done, always good to double-check everything. Breakdown. Now."
Law sighs, "Fine. Early fifties, grey suit, blue tie, has three horns on his head."
"Quirk?"
"Horns, he has horns," Law says in a bored tone. 1
Kiku nods, "family?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Reason for the hit?"
"Doesn't matter."
"Payout?"
"Three million," Law smiles. 5
"Good, the only thing that matters is the contract, nothing is more sacred in this life," Kiku smiles, knowing this rule was properly instilled into their son years ago. "Look lively…" 8
Law spots his target simultaneously, a short and rotund man, barely 150cm -five feet-tall. Wearing a grey suit with his blue tie, and sporting three horns. The face perfectly matches the picture in the request.
Looking at the people walking about Law spots a gap in the foot traffic, the perfect spot for him to get his shot.
"Easy money," Law says.
ROOM
A massive room, spanning over a hundred meters, invisible and undetectable as always, expands outward from his chest to encompass everything. 2
Creating his domain, with him at the center of it.
'Shambles,' a butterfly knife appears in his left hand, without needing to swap places with anything. Familiarity with an object or space allows him to warp them without requiring the crutch of a substitution item.
"This would be a lot easier if hotel windows could open," Law sighs as he makes a slicing motion in the air. The lock at the edge of the window is sliced open, a perfect and routine use of Amputate to divide matter.
Law places the tip of his blade just outside the window to prevent any 'bullet holes' when he fires.
'Scan,' his mind is bombarded with information about everything within his room, but he only focuses on his target. Scan gives him a perfect external breakdown of his targets' body and passive awareness of everything within his room to an extent, but the larger the room the easier it is to miss things. And gathering information about a person's internal structure requires him to be in contact with the person, even if it is through gloves.
"Almost there…" Law says as he focuses, aiming his blade directly at the target. "Injection Shot," he mutters.
A silent force bullet rockets from the tip of his blade and crosses the street, clearing the distance in half the time it would take for a standard bullet while remaining completely silently and invisibly.
They both see the target get hit, a direct shot to the side of his head as he's walking. Shattering his brainstem and killing him instantly, the sidewalk at the other end of the man cracks as a bullethole suddenly appears in it. As if it went clean through his head…but without ever breaking the skin. As always, internal damage only to organics. 2
"Easy jo–" Law celebrations are cut short. As expected the surrounding crowd looks on in horror as the mall falls to the floor. 2
But both Law and Kiku's eyes widen in surprise as his body shifts and contorts. Transforming back to its original form, a brown blob of flesh, clothes and all shift with it.
A moment later it truly reverts to the original form.
A tall slender man with pale grey skin laying lifeless on the sidewalk.
"Shifter," Kiku's eyes widen in realization, seeing the shapeshifting hero's corpse laying there. His bulletproof skin is obviously assumed to be able to protect him from them, but the hero couldn't have known about Law, about how his quirk worked. "Mask on!" she yells. 4
Law immediately shuts the window, and runs to the bed. Reaching into his bag he pulls on his ski mask, leaving only his white-blue eyes exposed, his mother wears an identical mask with her brown eyes revealed. 16
Kiku taps a few buttons on her phone, disabling all the cameras and recordings on their route and prepared exit before throwing the phone onto the bed.
Turning to looks back at her son, she nods.
"Ready?" Law asks.
"Let's go," she reaches into the backpack they brought and clicks a button, leaving it on the bed beside the phone and anything else they brought.
Law grabs his sword and focuses on where they need to go.
"Shambles," he says as they disappear, replaced with two blue marbles that clatter to the floor.
They appear on the roof of the hotel and begin running along the rooftops, understanding that escape was the main priority before they could do anything else. 3
BOOM!
As they leap off the roof and onto a neighboring building the room they were in seconds ago explodes into a raging inferno, destroying all evidence of anyone being there.
With only their eyes exposed they simply had to escape now and lay low for a while, they were certainly impossible to track.
Running toward nearly the end of the second rooftop Kiku stops and grabs her head, "agh!" she yells in pain, feeling as if her skull was in a vice.
Law stops as he feels a tingling at the back of his mind, but he automatically shrugs it off, the telltale effect of someone trying to use their quirk on him. Thankfully between his ego, willpower, and quirk, it was impossible for any other quirks to tell him what to do. 12
Kiku however, without such resistance drops to one knee due to the extreme pain, on the empty rooftop Law knows they have no cover and picks her up, thankfully his mother was shorter and lighter than him, he could barely feel her due to how much energy his Quirk gives him.
Scooping her into his arms and handing her his sword he takes off.
"What is it?" he asks.
"They're tracking me," Kiku says. "We need to find the quirk user and kill him, then disappear. And if we can't–"
"We will," Law says. "We'll both get out of this."
"East, he's East," Kiku says as the pain begins fading aware, yet she could feel the established connection tugging her toward the quirk user. 1
Law turns on his heel and begins running East.
'ROOM,' he creates a room as they arrive at the edge of the roof, quickly scanning for a few rocks on a rooftop across the street in front of him.
'Shambles.'
They both disappear.
"You can put me down now," Kiku says as they step out of his room, causing it to collapse immediately.
Kiku stands on her own and points to a spot on the floor. "I can feel him down–"
"Move!" Law pulls her out of the way as a sharp feather flies past the spot where she was. 3
CRASH!
Rooftop rumbles behind them. Turning around they both see a man in an aviator-style getup landing on the rooftop behind them, two wings of red feathers at his back where the lone feather that tried to attack Kiku returns to. 4
The number three pro hero, Hawk, glares at them, a long feather in each hand acting like a sword. 7
Standing beside him is a tall hulk of a man, the ground beneath him cracked due to his rough landing earlier, his massive two-meter tall frame was swollen with muscles, and his entirely metal body shone under the sunlight.
Chrome, the number twelve pro hero, his armored skin allows him to handle some of the physically strongest villains, and makes him immune to firearms and even tank shells. 9
Hawks looks at both targets for a moment before speaking, and Law uses this time to create a room spanning two hundred meters, a tax on his stamina that he could truly feel, but making this room and scanning was essential to expect any more ambushes, he'd barely made a room in time to detect that sneak attack earlier after all.
"Hmm, if you have a sword," he points at Law, "then that must make the woman Arsenal," he levels his feather sword at Kiku.
"Did you find him yet?" Kiku asks quietly, neither side moves their eyes from each other as both her hands morph into swords, confirming Hawk's suspicions.
"Yeah," Law says. "I have his location, plan?"
"Kill them all, they've seen too much." 7
"Mhm," Law nods in agreement, focusing on the person she pointed at earlier through the floor.
While mother and son were quietly muttering to each other, standing fifteen meters away Hawks and Chrome were creating a simple plan, not expecting the infamous assassin Arsenal to have backup.
With the sensitivity of his feathers, Hawks felt the vibrations their words sent through the air, easily hearing their plan.
"They found Mind-Binder," he tells Chrome in a hushed tone, still staring down the villains. "Don't hesitate to break them, they plan to kill us all. I think the swordsman has heightened senses, you should take him."
"Piece of cake," Chrome says. 3
"Now!" Arsenal -Kiku-yells.
To the shock of both heroes, Law turns toward her and swings at her neck with his blade, drawing it and attacking before anyone can make sense of this betrayal.
'Shambles,' in Kiku's place an older gentleman with grey hair suddenly appears, eyes closed and hands on his temple as he focuses to maintain his quirk on the woman, keeping his mind connected to the woman.
Before he can open his eyes they've swapped places and a sword slashes through his head.
'Incision,' Law enhances his slash to do more damage, unfortunately, this requires physical contact unlike Amputate, but the results are obvious as he bisects the man's skull. 1
Before the fresh corpse can hit the floor Kiku is swapped out once more.
"Binder!" Chrome yells out as both parties rush each other, Chrome charges toward Law while Hawks has his sights on Kiku.
Heroes versus Villains, a bloody battle begins… 16
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 6: CHAPTER 005(Critical Wounds)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START– 5
Rushing toward Chrome, the massive metal-plated brute, Law glances at Hawk, seeing the hero rocket toward his mother, swords in hand and three dozen small feathers flying alongside him like sentient knives.
'Direct confrontation isn't our specialty, assassination is,' Law thinks, his mind racing a thousand miles a minute to solve this problem. 'I need to save as many tricks as possible in case they have reinforcements on the way, and I need to deal with Chrome quickly before mom gets overwhelmed by those feathers, she can't defend from all angles but also can't hurt Chrome, damn it…'
Both pairs separate slightly and break into individual duels.
Chrome punches down at Law with a massive metal fist, only for the swordsman to pivot and turn his back to the hero.
'Shambles!'
CLANG!
Blade clashes against metal skin as they swap places and Law slashes at his back. A large gash is left on the hero's back, but it draws no blood.
Law leaps away as Chrome swings back to swat him.
'Damn power types,' Law internally groans. Being an assassin, he rarely, if ever, comes into confrontation with a power type, and certainly not one that's in the top twenty Japanese hero ranking. 7
Law tries to aim the point of his sword at Chrome to attack his insides with a force bullet, but the hero closes the distance between them too quickly.
"Shining Fist!" Chrome yells out, his dazzling metallic fist striking Law's sword, sending a wave of numbness up Law's arms as it knocks him across the roof.
Law rolls across the ground, then looks up just in time.
"Shining Stomp!" Chrome yells as he descends onto Law, aiming to stomp on the assassin.
'Idiot heroes are always yelling,' Law internally groans as he swaps places with Chrome. 1
Law fell a few feet to the roof and landed on his feet while Chrome suddenly appeared on the roof instead of falling, leaving a small crack because of his momentum.
As Chrome realizes what happened he rushes Law, but the assassin was already a few meters away with his sword raised high.
'Injection shot!' he commands while Chrome charges. 3
"Argh!" Chrome collapses with a heavy clank, cracking and chipping the concrete roof.
Law had aimed for his thigh, tearing through the artery and tendon without breaking the skin, the hero collapsed in pain as his fleshy insides we shredded. Chrome grits his teeth and makes an erratic, mad dash toward Law, realizing what had happened and making it difficult for the boy to aim. 2
'Injection Shot!'
The shoulder.
'Injection Shot!'
The gut.
'Injection Shot!'
The brain, finally killing the hero. 27
CLANG!
Chrome's forehead slams against the concrete as Law turns toward Hawks and his mother.
What he sees makes his blood run cold, but only for a moment, before it begins to boil.
During Hawk's short but lethal battle with Kiku, the assassin showed her decades of experience.
During one of their clashes she slashed Hawk's face, cracking his visor and nearly destroying his right eye.
"Ugh!" he groaned, the feathers on his back pulling him away from her as he thrust his arms forward.
All the feathers on his back react and lash out, four dozen small blades shredding the assassin.
Kiku freezes, eyes wide as she looks down at her own body, as if she'd been sentenced to death via firing squad, there were almost more holes than solid flesh on her torso. 4
Understanding what just happened Hawks leaps forward with both his swords, taking advantage of this moment to eliminate her before anything unexpected happened. 2
As both his blades were about to make contact, however.
"MOM!" he hears before he disappears. Slashing at the empty air in front of him when he appears at the far side of the roof. Looking down at Chrome's body at his feet, no blood or visible damage of any kind, presumably unconscious, the hero couldn't tell that his dear friend was already dead. 9
Turning around he sees Law cradling Kiku as she takes what he expects to be her final breaths. His feathers tore through her and danced around inside her torso, putting all her organs into a crude blender, she was dead, she had to be, right?
"BOOSTER SHOT!"
"BOOSTER SHOT!"
"BOOSTER SHOT!"
"BOOSTER SHOT!"
"BOOSTER SHOT!"
"BOOSTER SHOT!"
"BOOSTER SHOT!" 5
Law screams over and over, his palm over her heart, and faint blue energy transfers from him into her. 12
Unlike Recovery Girl's world-famous Heal quirk, instead of using the patients' stamina to force cell activation, Law uses his own stamina to regenerate their bodies. Thankfully his quirk had his body adapt to have much more energy than an average person.
"She's gone," Hawks says, walking up to Law with his feathers hovering around him, both feather swords still in his hands. "Surrender now, enough people have died today."
Looking at his mother as she struggles to survive, Law feels rage like never before, not toward Hawks, not toward this situation, only rage at himself. 12
Looking up his wide-eyed and pissed-off gaze clashes with Hawks's. He puts on a brave front, but using that much energy to keep her alive had his stamina greatly diminished. His room had shrunk from two hundred meters down to just barely fifty meters, but the steady, weak, but steady beat of her heart beneath his palm was well worth it. 4
'Now I just need to get us out of here so I can operate and save her,' Law decided as he gently places her down, rising to his feet, sword in hand.
Hawks sighs, "I see, so it's like that…" 3
Law immediately rushes the hero, Hawks rockets forward, flanked by a dozen feathers on each side, ready to bombard Law with an indefensible onslaught.
Before they clash Law shrinks his room, even more, to barely the size of this whole rooftop. Removing all the unnecessary clutter from his awareness he focuses entirely on Hawks and all the feathers flying about.
'Shambles!'
CLANG!
Law's blade clashes with Hawks, and the hero's eyes widen, realizing Law had swapped places with a feather at his side.
'Shambles!'
CLANG! This time Hawks barely reacts fast enough, blocking a slash intended for his back, his feathers heightening his senses and awareness to react nearly as fast as Law, but not quite fast enough to really block anything.
But Law had to allow him to block some.
'Shambles!'
CLANG!
Hawks lifts both swords and meets Law's strike to his left side, pushing back against Law, his confidence was built up enough.
'Shambles!'
Hawks reacts, and Law once again allows him to defend, blocking with both his feather swords crossed directly in front of him.
And as their blades meet.
'Amputate!'
Law's sword delivers a slash that separates matter, taking advantage of Hawks's confidence in his ability to parry. The hero's eyes widen in horror as his feather swords are cleanly sliced through.
'Incision!'
After Law's blade breaks Hawks's guard he changes the type of slash he performs. Switching from Amputate which harmlessly divides organic matter, to Incision, which increases the physical and destructive property of his slash.
The moment his blade makes contact with the hero's armored chest plate it sinks nearly an inch deep.
Hawks doesn't even register the searing pain until after all his feathers instinctively yank him backward. The slash that would have cut his heart in two and ended his career right there instead only sank an inch deep before his body was pulled back by his feathers.
From his left shoulder to nearly his right hip Law's blade leaves a trail of blood and pain across his chest as all the available feathers slam into the hero and rocket away from the roof with him in tow.
The blood that sprayed out of Hawks's chest in his retreat splashed across Law's mask, the normal obsessively hygenic surgeon doesn't even pay it any mind as the hero retreats. 1
Law doesn't both to chase or even continue his assault, he drops his sword and runs back toward where his mother lays, fighting to desperately cling to life. 5
Dropping to his knees beside her he cradles her in his arms and places a hand on her chest.
"Booster Shot," he begs his quirk to heal her, and the blue light flows from his palm into her torso, her broken ragged breathing and irregular heartbeat don't change. Faint and barely there if at all.
"Room!" Law commands, expanding his ROOM, creating the largest ROOM he could to get them out of here.
He needed his operating tools.
He needed life support devices.
He needed…he needed.
"Home…" he says in an exhausted voice, "shambles…"
Both he and his mother disappeared from the rooftop… 12
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 7: CHAPTER 006(A Miracle)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"DAD!" Law screams, suddenly appearing in the operating room of their clinic.
Kiku struggles to breathe as he holds her in his arms, rushing to place her on the operating table. Leaving his mask on, Hawks's blood drying and sticking the cotton to his face, ignored, he flicks his wrist and a scalpel appears in his hand.
Tearing off her top he sees dozens of stab wounds, tunnels made by feathers flying straight through her and exiting her back. 4
"Fuck!" he gets to work immediately.
A minute later Corazon barges into the room, the clinic thankfully already closed for the day allowing them to have privacy.
The man freezes at what he sees, his wife on the operating table, an oxygen mask on her face, struggling to keep her eyes open. Thankfully Law's quirk allows him to perform painless operations.
He sees Law with a bloodstained mask, carefully but quickly operating on his mother, both hands in her chest cavity.
"Crap," Corazon rushes to put on some gloves and join his son at the table, the slow and steady beeping of her heart monitor feels like sirens in his ears. "What hap–"
His question halts as they both freeze, Law carefully removes one of Hawks's feathers and lifts it up, it still subtly shakes as he holds it between them. 9
They both share a knowing look before his father speaks, "you need to get out of here, I'll keep her stable."
"NO!" Law argues, tossing the feather aside and delving back into the surgery. "If I leave she'll die, he destroyed her organs."
"L–" Corazon stops himself, knowing Hawks's could likely hear them with that feather, "son, you need to go."
"No, just focus on saving her!"
"G-go," Kiku forces herself to speak, her eyes meeting Law's for a moment before she begins to pass out, her heart rate quickly plummeting.
"Fuck!" Law makes a fist with each hand, leaving his thumbs sticking out, and placed them atop her chest, "Counter Shock." 2
His hands spark.
"Ah!" she jolts back awake, heart rate returning as he generated a current with his hands to act as a defibrillator. 2
"Booster Shot!" he gives her another dose of blue healing energy before he continues operating, paying his dad no mind.
Looking between his son and wife Corazon flattens his lips, knowing exactly how stubborn the boy would be.
"Fine," the man grits out. "You focus on her, I'm making sure you can at least get out of this clean," he rushes out of the room, pulling the Antibacterial Curtains shut behind him and following their plan.
All he had to do was make sure they couldn't track Law, because they all knew that the heroes can't actually hold him in custody. 8
Eyes flickering back to his mother as she passes out, heart rate erratic, Law keeps muttering to himself.
"I'll fix this, I'll fix this, I'll fix this…" Over and over for nearly an hour, before the sirens start approaching.
Law feels his mind becoming more and more exhausted by the second, he doesn't react when someone busts open the front door, turning the wood into splinters.
The feather at the side of the room rushes through the curtains, but he continues operating on his mother.
He hears his father yelling, three gunshots, then a body hitting the floor.
His quirk allowed him to know what was going on, his father was fine, but none of his shots had hit, not surprising for a non-combatant.
When the curtains are ripped open he sees Hawks staring at him with hate-filled eyes. His entire chest is bloodied, one arm across his chest while the other holds a feather sword. His red feather wings kept him off the ground to ease the pressure on his chest.
"Surrender, now!" Hawks demands. 2
Law's eyes focus on Hawks for a moment, seeing the sweat on the hero's face and the way he was careful with his injury, the venom in his glare, and most importantly, all the feathers already surrounding him and his mother.
Law returns his focus to his mother, and continues operating, "if I stop she dies," was all he said.
"She's already dead," Hawks insisted, "I put her damn organs in a blender, it'd take a miracle to save her, and you killed my friend! So get on the ground, now!"
"I can heal her, I am a miracle, just need time," Law says flatly.
Hawks takes a more aggressive stance, feathers angling themselves to cut Law into pieces.
Law ignores him, unwilling to ever leave his mother to die, so he continues operating.
"Fine," Hawks mutters, telepathically instructing his feathers to attack.
Two feathers tear into Law's legs, trying to make him kneel.
"Mmm!" he groans, but his arms and hands stay steady, his legs through sheer will remain standing, refusing to stop working on his mother. 5
"Fine, " Hawks says, "but you asked for this."
One long feather rockets directly to Law's neck, nearly piercing the skin before it stops, and through it all, he continues operating.
"WHAT?!" Hawks screams, holding his earpiece, he obeyed the order to stop his attack but couldn't understand why. "What the hell could you ever need him for?" he growls out. 10
Law listens in on the conversation, at least on Hawks's side, but doesn't stop operating, doesn't even bother to move the feather from his neck.
Hawks grits his teeth and is seething at the sight of Law, "this monster killed Chrome and you want me to wait?!"
"–"
"Who's to say he won't just warp away, we won't get this chance again!" Hawks argues.
"–"
"You can't be serious? You expect him to honor that?"
"–"
"Fine! But if he gets away this is on your head Nezu, this entire trap was yours anyway," Hawks grumbles. 17
Law notices the feathers returning to Hawks's wings, the steady beep of Kiku's heart monitor is the only sound in the room for almost a minute. 4
"She's your mom?" Hawks asks. 1
"Yes," Law answers surprisingly quickly.
Hawks sighs, "can't believe I'm saying this, you can finish working on her if you agree to come with me afterward, and we'll keep you up to date on her status, we just want to ask you a few questions." 10
"Deal," Law doesn't even hesitate, not with how much is at stake. 7
–Task Force Control Unit…
Within a nearby apartment, Nezu -A 90cm or 3ft tall white bear mouse with a scar across his right eye, wearing a pristine three-piece suit-sits at a computer desk. Through Hawks's body camera he's been seeing and hearing everything since the beginning of this operation. 3
He's now more thankful than ever that aside from the security posted outside only three pros knew about this operation, keeping it as insulated as possible was the key to catching Arsenal. 1
Looking at the three computer screens in front of him he sees Law still steadily working on saving Arsenal, and on a separate camera, he sees The Heart Thief -Corazon-being loaded into an armored truck outside. 16
Picking up his phone from the desk he looks at the time, nearly nine pm, yet he doesn't even hesitate to make the call.
It only rings once before a pleasant voice answers him, "Nezu? What's going on, I'm about to make a big drug bust."
"This is more important than that Naomasa, " Nezu says. "I'm sending you an audio recording, use your Lie Detector Quirk, if it's legit then get over here immediately to cover for me, I'll need to go see President Pantu…" 7
"Huh? What's this about?" Naomasa Tsukauchi asks, now much more concerned, especially if Nezu would have to go see Pantu, the president of the Hero Public Safety Commission.
"I think I found our friend a doctor," Nezu hears Naomasa choke at the other end of the call. 8
"Send the recording," Naomasa immediately demands.
"Already sent…"
Nezu leans back in his chair, paw pads nervously tapping the desk. Even with his Quirk -High Spec-giving him, a simple bear-mouse, intelligence beyond human comprehension, capable of outpacing the most advanced supercomputers, he never expected to stumble upon such a miracle, assuming this was real. 2
But all the evidence points to it being real.
The constant beeping of Arsenal's heart monitor was evidence that this was a real miracle, something they'd been searching the past four years for.
'Hawks definitely shredded all her internal organs, if he can save her…maybe he can even heal All Might…' the bear-mouse dared to hope. 6
Feeling his phone vibrate Nezu answers before it can even start ringing, "Naomasa?"
"It's real!" Naomasa's winded voice answers back. "I'm running to my car now, send me your location then go talk to Pantu!" 2
"Alright," Nezu hops down from the chair and begins walking to the exit, "when you get here make sure to keep his mask on, we need all the leverage we can get…"
The current date is April 5th, 2114, 1 Year until Deku's first day at UA, and 2 months until he meets All Might. 17
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 8: CHAPTER 007(Negotiations Pt.1) 2
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"Nearly 10 PM and you've got me here still, this had better be good Nezu…" Pantu says sharply, narrowing her eyes at the bear-mouse seating across from her desk. 13
In the sleek minimalist office of the Hero Public Safety Commission president, she leans back into her chair. Her short ash blonde hair slicked back neatly, pearls around her neck. Black dress and suit jacket combination neat as ever. Slight wrinkles on her face showed her age but she still held a vibrant sort of vigor in her turquoise eyes.
"I'll make this quick so you can get to the airport," Nezu says. "I need full negotiating power on the Arsenal case."
"Denied. Get out." 1
"I can't do that," Nezu says. "Something happened and now the situation has changed."
Pantu raises a brow at him, understanding that he wouldn't ask for such a thing without a very good and well-thought-out reason, "what on earth could make you want to potentially give that monster a pardon? She's killed thousands of people, and dozens of heroes, she should be in the ground already, that's why I gave you Hawks and Chrome, they're not opposed to more…definitive, measures."
"It's not for her," Nezu says.
Pantu leans back into her chair and raises a hand to her chin, "I'll delay my jet, start from the top."
Nezu looks around the office for a moment before clearing his throat.
This made Pantu even more interested, she sits up and taps a button below her desk, shutting off all the recording devices in the room. "Alright, off the record, now from the top."
"The plan worked perfectly," Nezu says. "Any of the jobs she took for the next few months would have set off our trap, but we encountered an unexpected complication."
"How unexpected?"
"Apparently The Heart Thief and Arsenal had a baby," Nezu sighs.
This gets Pantu leaning forward, "wait, did he?" Nezu nods. "For her?" He nods again. "My god, to think those two monsters were connected all along."
"Like I said, most unexpected."
She gestures for him to continue and relaxes back into her chair.
"We lost Shifter," Nezu says.
"How? His skin is supposed to be as hard as tungsten when he transforms."
"True," Nezu says. "We chose him and Chrome for that express purpose, they can block anything Arsenal's quirk has while Hawks is fast enough to subdue her, but we didn't prepare for her son. He did…something, to Shifter, same as Chrome. It's as if a bullet tore through them, didn't even touch the skin, only internal components."
"An indefensible attack?" Pantu asks.
"And he can warp, with undefined limitations."
Pantu groans, warping quirks were near impossible to deal with short of a shock implant, but getting approval for those were an entirely different humanitarian issue, yet it always seems like only villains ever get warping quirks, currently, no hero in the world has one, that's simply how rare they were. "What do you mean undefined limitation?" 5
"It's the first and only instant warping Quirk to my knowledge," Nezu says. "He can swap the place of objects or people at will or seemingly move freely without needing to swap with anything. We've seen conflicting evidence, there are clearly factors we aren't aware of."
"Alright, go on."
"He used this substitution-based warping to kill Mind-Bender by swapping him with Arsenal before swapping them back, he was able to resist the telepathic connection when Arsenal couldn't, and he somehow located Mind-Bender with no information."
"Three dead pros, all from the top twenty," Pantu frowns. "Is Hawks alright?"
"He barely survived their first encounter, after Hawks destroyed Arsenals organs her son almost cut him in half, but Hawks was fast enough to escape before bleeding out, he got stapled up before we made the arrest."
"Hawks, the number three pro-hero, had to run?"
"The boy is very well trained as you can imagine, certainly not the first time he's crossed swords with someone." 3
"How'd you arrest him if he can warp?" she asks.
"We tracked them with a feather Hawks left in Arsenal, he was performing surgery on his mom when we got there, if he left she would have died so I made him a deal, he can finish the operation if he surrenders quietly."
"She survived?" Pantu asked.
"Somehow," Nezu says. "His operating skills and healing ability are a miraculous combination, certainly his father's son." 1
Pantu raises a brow at this, "healing?"
Nezu nods, "another ability he has. Hawks confirmed the kind of damage she sustained, she should have been dead ten times over, but she's stable and in custody as we speak."
"And the boy?"
"I heard over the phone on the way here that he kept his word."
"And The Heart Thief?" 1
"He shot at Hawks but was easily subdued without hurting anyone, including himself, he did manage to destroy all their records before we got there sadly." 2
"Damn," Pantu rubs her face and sighs. "So two monsters made an even worse monster with however many abilities and some strange quirk, and you want what exactly?"
"I have someone I need him to heal, I already have his psychosis solved, I know how to handle him, and if I don't, it'll only take one conversation to figure him out." 9
Pantu shakes her head, "sorry Nezu but I'm not letting that hero-killing kid back into the public, starting thinking of a way to put cuffs on him that he can't warp out of." 2
"Pantu, it's in the best interest of Japan that he accepts this offer, and you're the person with the authority to grant it." 1
Pantu sighs, "who could be so important that you need this kid to heal, just have recovery girl do it."
"We tried," Nezu says. "We've been trying for years with some of the best healers around the world, everyone says it's impossible to even extend his time, Japan isn't ready to stand without its symbol Pantu."
Pantu nearly feels her heart stop at those words, "y-you can't mean?" 1
"Yes," Nezu nods solemnly, "this is our best hope, for All Might." 1
"Damn it," Pantu sighs. "You understand all the things those two monsters have done, right?"
Nezu nods.
"So you know how much international pressure will be on me to sentence them to execution in Tartarus?"
He nods again.
"Sigh, I'll agree with whatever deal you make so long as it doesn't mean they all walk, at least not immediately, when things are more quiet in a few years I can get them out. You can give the kid a full pardon if you really think he's worth the risk." 9
"It's hard to imagine a risk not worth taking for the potential to save All Might." 4
"Why'd you keep this information from me anyway?" Pantu asks. "Can you tell me any more?"
"I'm afraid not, I've already told you far more than I was ever allowed to, but I'm sure he'll understand."
"Mhm," Pantu nods. "Well, your connections are better than mine so if you couldn't find a solution I certainly couldn't have. What about the kid, what's your endgame with him, after he potentially fixes All Might?"
"All Might is already forty-eight years old, even if he was in perfect health, how much longer could we rely on him?"
Pantu scowls, "you know the constitution and international hero law states we can't give a license to anyone that doesn't complete a hero course," she reminds him. 1
"I'm well aware of that, and I'm also aware that every country breaks that regulation, just as you've done for Hawks and a few others."
"They were raised to protect Japan and her interests at all costs, I'm not giving your pet monster the same benefits as them." 18
"That would likely be for the best, he already has the skills to deal with most heroes and villains, but he lacks that heroic spirit, and I know the perfect place to instill that into him," Nezu smiles victoriously. 35
Pantu shakes her head, "you plan to put that thing in a classroom and tell it to play nice with the other children?" 9
"I plan to show him the virtuous and heroic path, and all the good he can do, but yes, placing him in a hero-centric environment for a few years is sure to help." 21
Pantu shakes her head, "just don't come crying to me when he puts a knife in your back, it's inevitable when someone is as hopeful as you are, which really doesn't make sense considering you're the smartest person on the planet by such a large margin." 5
Nezu can't help but laugh at that, "maybe the people arguing with the smartest creature to ever live are wrong, I find that much more likely, he'll be a great hero, you'll see…" 23
END CHAPTER– 7
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Chapter 9: CHAPTER 008(Negotiations Pt.2) 4
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Standing in a small room with a control panel in front of him Tsukauchi has his arms folded across his chest. Wearing a bulletproof vest and his raid equipment, he has a small frown on his face as he stares at the glass in front of him.
Aside from the small door and control panel the only feature of this room was the one-way mirror built into the wall.
It allowed him to see Law on the other side, sitting on a metal chair that was bolted to the floor, locked in a room and hands cuffed to the metal table in front of him that was also bolted down.
Staring at the villain Tsukauchi wracked his brain trying to make sense of this situation, feeling a creeping sense of dread as Law's blue-white eyes seemed to stare through him. 7
CLICK!
"Hmm," Tsukauchi is startled out of his thoughts as Nezu enters the viewing room. "Oh, it's you."
"Expecting someone else?" Nezu asked, the mouse-bear had a stack of documents tucked under his arm.
"Yeah," Tsukauchi sighs, "figured Hawks would come in again to yell at me, what happened?"
"Everything went well, although I had to reveal exactly who we want him to operate on," Nezu raises a paw to stop Tsukauchi's response, "nothing more than a name, I assure you, not that I could lie to someone with your quirk anyway."
Tsukauchi turns back to face Law and glares at the villain, "so what now?"
"Hmph," Nezu jumps up to the control panel, with some help from Tsukauchi. Standing on it he can finally see into the room, and he notices Law's head shift. Eyes moving from Tsukauchi and onto him. "Can he see through the mirror?"
"All I know is he can't hear us."
Nezu waves playfully, and Law raises his fingers in a bored gesture, hands still cuffed to the table. Both their eyes widen slightly at that. 5
"Or maybe he can see us," Tsukauchi says. "But again, what's the plan?" 6
"First catch me up to speed, give me the rundown of what happened after I left the operation," Nezu says.
"Right. We locked up The Heart Thief first, we shipped him off to Tartarus immediately, Hawks supervised the surgery and when it was complete I followed your instructions and had the kid brought here. Arsenal is stable, somehow, the doctors at central hospital are looking over her, but from what they've said so far, he really did perform a miracle on her." 2
"Hmm," Nezu rubs his chin. "So his dad is in the most secure prison in the world and his mom is soon to follow, and thanks to the Hero and Villain laws we can skip a trial if someone poses a sufficient threat or containment risk to civilians. That leaves this young man in a tough spot. From my assessment, he's likely fifteen, if so much, that would match up to the dip Arsenal had in her contracts at that time. What about the boy after I left?" 5
"Nothing," Tsukauchi says. "Didn't resist, or speak, just made sure nobody took off his mask and did everything I said."
"I expected that much," Nezu says. "And the documents?"
"His dad burned everything they had on file, and set the entire building ablaze in the process. Pictures, contracts, contacts, any work history, IDs, don't even know what he looks like under there," Tsukauchi gestures to Law's bloodied mask. "All we've got to go on is what your program got." 3
"I see… It seems my assessment of his mind was spot on, this shouldn't take long at all," Nezu hops off the control panel and down to the floor. "Do tell me if he says any lies Tsukauchi." 3
"Yeah, but don't you want to call in Hawks or some more officers before you talk to him?"
Nezu stops walking toward the door and turns back to Tsukauchi, he chuckles and shakes his head, "I've already sent them all away, only we three are here, don't worry, we'll be fine."
Nezu adjusts his earpiece and exits the room, making a small detour to prepare something before speaking to the masked villain.
Sitting in the interrogation room, Law was remarkably calm.
Who wouldn't be when you could leave at any time. He made a game of staring at the detective through the mirror. Using his quirk and his Scan technique to get a 3D image of the man's movements, constantly keeping his eyes locked on him.
While he kept his composure his mind was making hundreds of contingencies. He'd have to leave and immediately go to central hospital to get his mother, but she'd be on life support so he wouldn't be able to move her in his exhausted state. 1
His dad would already be in Tartarus, and they'd surely take measures against a jailbreak, even if he can warp the results would likely be…bloody.
So in the meantime, he knew he was stuck.
After waiting for quite a while however, things began changing.
'Most of the security is leaving, and Hawks,' he notices, scanning the ROOM again to make sure what he sensed in the building was true. Feeling one short figure approaching he knew exactly what was going on. 'Nezu is here in person, this must be a big deal…'
CLICK!
The door swings open as Nezu walks in, the unmistakable mark of confidence in his steps. Hopping onto the metal chair opposite Law he has his back to the mirrored panel and places two things on the metal table. 1
A stack of documents, and a plastic bottle of water, just simple water that can be bought anywhere, with a little something extra in it.
Law's eyes never leave Nezu, even as the man silently observes him, and they size each other up. 1
Breaking the silence Nezu waves, "hi there, I'm–"
"I know who you are. Smartest creature to ever live, helped countries restructure governments and infrastructure. Wrote hero laws across the world, principal of UA," Law says. "I was waiting for you." 7
"Hmm, my reputation proceeds me." 3
"Anyone who has anything to do with heroes should know you, not knowing who the number one hero supporter is would be idiotic."
Nezu nods along, "very true for your line of work, and you said you were waiting for me?"
"I only talk to the man in charge, and you ordered Hawks to stop, so you're the man in charge, right?"
Nezu nods, realizing that Law had been listening to Hawks earlier, "that I am. And would you care to guess why I'm here?"
"To give me a shady deal," Law looks around at the room. "Would explain why I'm in some private building instead of a police station." 1
"Very perceptive," Nezu says. "And what may I call you?"
"Doctor," Law says. 12
"Very well, Doctor. Both your parents are currently in Tartarus, measures are naturally being taken against any warping jailbreak," Nezu sees Law stiffen at those words, although he tried to hide it. "I shouldn't have to tell you that those countermeasures include very messy results should they be triggered." 6
"I'm aware," Law says with much more grit than intended.
"Such measures are necessary considering the severity of your parents' crimes," Nezu says. "A natural born prodigy moving from Italy to japan to become a doctor at only twenty, gets called in to operate on a modern Japanese princess…and instead of the simple stomach surgery, he cuts out her heart and disappears." 11
Nezu's words don't affect Law at all, he shows no surprise or shame.
"And Arsenal," Nezu says. "To think he stole the heart for her, for love, to keep her alive. A woman credited with nearly seven thousand confirmed kills, many of which are on very influential people, I'm sure you can understand the situation they're in right now, yes?" 5
"Execution," Law says.
Nezu nods, "and you could very well join them, if we could contain you, which we can't." 3
"Certainly not with only two of you," Law says. 1
Both Nezu and Tsukauchi stiffen at that, unsure how he knew that everyone else had gone, but this was all planned for.
"It would make no difference," Nezu shrugs. "The people we had couldn't stop you from leaving anyway so at least this way you don't have to hurt them, besides, the fact that you're still here and knew I came with a deal proves you're smart enough to know what choice is best, and you understand the leverage I have."
Law grits his teeth, "my parents aren't 'leverage'," he says. 10
"My apologies, but surely you understand what I mean, yes?"
Law nods.
"Well then Doctor, here is the situation, I need your skills for one job, then you're completely free to go. I'll never come looking for you unless you do something to get on my radar, and you'll have no connection to The Heart Thief or Arsenal."
"Services?" Law asks, "you need me to kill or heal someone?"
"Heal."
"And what about my parents?"
"Mmm," Nezu hesitates for a moment. Nezu reaches for one of the documents and places it in front of him, reading it to Law. "If you sign this, it will state that you were groomed without choice in an abusive hous–" 8
"Shut up!" Law's yell causes Nezu to reel back on his chair. "You ever talk about my parents like that again and all the heroes in the world wouldn't be able to save you," Law suddenly went from calm to seething with rage. 10
Nezu takes a deep breath, says "I understand," and pretends like it never happened. Tossing that offer aside, along with a few others. "I assume you'll never testify against them in any way?"
"Correct," Law says. "I love my parents, and I'm proud of them, they taught me everything they knew and made me who I am, I owe them everything. I'll never turn on them, and I won't let anyone talk bad about them, got it?" 9
"Understood," Nezu says, nodding and moves on to new documents. "Would you like some of the water?"
CLING!
Nezu looks up to see Law sitting back and cracking the seal on the bottle, empty handcuffs on the table, no longer running through the metal bar build atop the table. He'd swapped the cuffs and water, causing them to disappear from around his wrist as the water appeared in his hand.
Tsukauchi wasted no time in telling Nezu what happened as Law leans back and takes a large gulp of water.
Nezu only stares for a moment before turning back to the documents as if nothing happened, not at all bothered by the villain sitting across from him without restraints. Ignoring Tsukauchi yelling in his earpiece about how he should get out of there. 1
As Law finishes the bottle of water Nezu begins speaking, "alright, I've found a solution to both our problems–" he pauses, seeing a thoughtful expression in Law's eyes as he seems to be mulling over some thoughts.
Without warning Law looks away and up down his mask slightly, spitting into the corner of the room before turning back to Nezu, mask back on properly to only show his eyes. "A biological tracker, very clever," Law says, a hint of amusement in his voice. 5
Tsukauchi's voice buzzes in Nezu's earpiece, "he really did spit out the tracker, every little bit of it…" the detective says in a mix of horror and amazement.
Nezu can't help but lean back in his chair, " I designed that to meld with prisoners' bodies so we can keep tabs on slippery villains, how'd you find it, much less expel it." 2
Law only shrugs in response.
Nezu sighs, still calm and focused, Law's attitude is still well within the predicted margins for him. "I've come up with a new deal that doesn't involve you betraying your parents, community service." 2
"What?" Law asks, completely confused.
"Quite simple really," Nezu takes one of the documents from the bottom of the stack and slides it over so Law can read it. "You get a full pardon, their executions are withheld, and when your side of the agreement is complete we can even discuss reducing their sentence, depending on how well you do at community service ofcourse." 5
Law looks up from the contract in front of him, more like a piece of paper with one signature on it, Hero Public Safety Commission president Pantu herself, the highest authority in japan aside from President Bosu, but in terms of hero matters, she was the head in most cases. 3
"What's the community service?" Law asks. 1
Nezu smiles and reaches forward in a handshake gesture, "come study at UA, and be a hero!" 29
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 10: CHAPTER 009(Negotiations Pt.3)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"Hero?" Law couldn't quite wrap his mind around the absurdity and stupidity of that idea. "You want me to go to UA and become a hero?"
"Precisely," Nezu nods enthusiastically, "starting next year, this school year… let's just say things aren't right just yet." 1
"Why not just get me a Pro-Hero license now so I can start working off their sentence?" Law asks, "you know I'm already more capable than most heroes in Japan, just let me get to it."
"Unfortunately the Japanese constitution and hero regulations forbid that, plus you're only…"
"Fifteen," Law says.
"Exactly," although the truth was that Nezu wanted to force Law into a hero-centric environment alongside other young heroes for as long as possible, hoping that they rub off on him, but he would never say that. "And besides, if you are as good as you think then graduating UA shouldn't be an issue for you." 18
"It won't be," Law declares, "but it is a waste of time."
Nezu chuckles, "you'll find that every year there are exceptional prodigies, I'm sure you'll be able to find worthy competition, in fact, I guarantee you will." 5
"I doubt that," Law says. "But obviously you won't budge on this term, right?"
"Right."
"Sigh… so I heal your friend, attend UA, and how much can I get their sentence reduced?"
"If you perform well enough it could be entirely," Law perks up at that. "But we can discuss that at your graduation, and every year afterward. Until then they will remain exactly where they are." 9
"And they won't be executed before that? I know that super high priority people like my parents are kept isolated, I need some guarantee that this isn't all for nothing," Law says. 9
"You have my word, so long as you uphold your part of the contract, I will uphold mine," Nezu nods. 5
Law sighs, "mom taught me how sacred contracts are, contracts and my family are all that matter to me, I never agree to a contract I can't fulfill, and I never break a contract. I also don't renegotiate the terms of any contract I agree to, even if the job turns out to be a lot tougher than expected, it's on me to do the research after all." 9
"That's good, a strong sense of family and honor, even if the work you did was…less than clean, I can respect your work ethic and how professional you kept yourself," Nezu says.
"I'm fully aware of how the world views us," Law sits back in his chair and stares at Nezu for a long while, then he sighs, then speaks. "Before I agree to anything, I've got some specific terms," he looks to the mirror, as if he could see Tsukauchi standing there. "I need to discuss them with you, only you."
"I see," Nezu narrows his eyes slightly. "And I can trust that you won't try anything harmful or deceitful when I order him to leave?"
"Of course I won't, I just want as few people as possible to know my business."
"Detective?" Nezu asks.
"He's not lying," Tsukauchi says through the earpiece, "but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with this."
"Leave us detective," Nezu says. "I trust him…"
After Law senses Tsukauchi leaving he nods to Nezu. The Mouse-bear removes his earpiece and sets it down on the table, turning it off.
"Alright, what are these terms you want to discuss?" Nezu asks.
"My face, and information about my family."
"The police and government weren't able to recover anything at all. All documents were burned in the fire your father started, all systems were wiped clean, they can't even find the legal names you three were operating under, Law…" Nezu says. 2
Law narrows his eyes at that, "I'm guessing you don't include yourself in police or government?"
"I'm an educator and consultant," Nezu says. "With the way you three operate I fully expected you to be concerned about this, when I realized I needed you I assumed it would give me good bargaining power, which it clearly does." 1
"Does anyone else know?" Law asks.
"No," Nezu doesn't hesitate to answer, having Law all figured out by now he knew he was safe, after all, he's the only hope Law has of saving his parents. And his parents are most important to him, followed closely by his ego. 9
"Then let's keep it that way," Law says.
"What do you mean?"
"If you could wave your hand and make a full pardon appear, I'm assuming you can make an ID and medical license or two appear, right?"
"If I wanted to, of course," Nezu was very intrigued by this suggestion. "What do you have in mind?"
"I don't want my face being a hero, especially not at UA. Putting my face and Quirk in the spotlight is just inviting villains to pay my family a visit in the future, when I start my own family specifically." 14
"I see," Nezu strokes his chin, "most people don't consider that since being a hero means being a celebrity."
"Most people are morons who don't think a step past themselves, especially teenagers," Law says, a new harshness in his tone. 3
"You disapprove of that?"
"Obviously," Law scoffs. "I think they're selfish, arrogant, careless, and lack any sense of accountability if anything does happen, it's disgusting. Can't expect villains to follow the rules, so the last thing I want is to head back home from patrol and find my house turned to ash while my family was inside." 22
Nezu taps his chin, 'so every thought goes into protecting his future or current family…' he thinks to himself. 5
"Understandable, I can have new identification created for your personal and hero use, including a mask." 2
"Perfect."
"And about the medical licenses, I'd have to review some of the medical notes in your father's files, but from what I saw on the drive here, I don't think a medical license for each identity is beyond reason, prodigies exist, more so than ever since the advent of Quirks."
"Good," Law says. "I just need my hero and personal life as separate as possible, that's very important to me." 6
"So then we have an agreement?" Nezu asks.
"On the day of the surgery, or whatever it is your friend needs, if you've got everything by then yeah I'll play hero for you, anything to fix what I did."
"What you did?" Nezu was suddenly very curious by this choice of words.
"Sigh, I guess it doesn't really matter since you have all the dirt on me," Law shrugs. "I chose that job, first one I've ever picked and it turned out to be a trap, I fucked us…" 1
Nezu shakes his head, realizing that they'd both been so focused on the future that they never even discussed what happened, deciding to take a risk, he tells the truth.
"It wasn't your fault," Nezu says, causing Law's eyes to snap to him. "There have been teams tracking her for nearly two decades, since before you were born. We finally had enough info to narrow down her pattern. For the past year, all her jobs have been tracked and some were even provided by us to get rid of certain undesirable people, to let the bait sink in." 3
"What?" Law was amazed that they never noticed, but not completely surprised since Nezu's intellect is beyond even a complex supercomputer, many of which he personally designs and sells to major governments.
"Any job of the three dozen she would have chosen would have been the same trap, she taught you well, she always chose the perfect job, we just figured out how to appear like the perfect job. So if you're going to be mad at anyone, to hate anyone, it should be me," Nezu says.
Law doesn't even hesitate to slouch down in his chair and shake his head, "no, you did your job well, I'm the one who failed. I fucked up so badly that I destroyed my family, maybe got them killed, and I'm guessing all our accounts are gone too?" 18
Nezu nods.
"Fuck," Law rubs a hand down his face. "The only person to blame is me, they trained me to be my best self. I've trained so hard to be perfect, and I ruined everything. I saw her get hurt and I didn't even think to check for feathers, this is all on me. Responsibility and accountability, right, that's why I'm the only one who I should hate for this." 14
Nezu sighs, "do you have a safehouse remaining?"
"Of course, all our assets weren't digital, just ninety percent…"
"Good, I'm sure you want some time to process this," Nezu takes one of the documents out from his stack and slides it over, face down. "This is the only one I printed, the other personal files are here," he places a phone on the table.
"And a tracker I can't get rid of…" 3
"Naturally," Nezu says, gesturing to the phone. "But from what I can tell, you and I will work very well together, be ready for my call, Law." 5
"Thank you," Law says, suddenly feeling very tired as he feels the meeting ending, the adrenaline and anxiety cocktail that was keeping him going is finally wearing off. 7
"I'll contact you when I have everything ready," Nezu hops off his chair, takes the remaining documents, including the unsigned contract, and begins walking to the door. "You can get yourself out of here, right?" he asks playfully.
"I'll be fine, principal," Law groans at the word, already knowing this was going to be a long journey.
With that Nezu nods and exits the room, shutting the door behind him.
Law takes a deep breath, feeling exhaustion seeping into his bones. "Fuck me…" he groans, taking the picture from the table as well as the phone. "Shambles…" 11
He disappears, swapping places with a few raindrops from outside… 9
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 11: CHAPTER 010(The Plan)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Law stands in the shower, warm water flowing down his body, watching blood and water rush past his feet and rush down the drain.
He sighs, feeling his bones ache, the stress and constant worry of his body slowly fading away under the water.
After a short shower, he makes sure to get the dried blood out of his hair before drying off and stepping out of the glass shower.
Looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, palms flat on the sink, he can see the exhaustion in his own white-blue eyes. 13
His hair was short and messy, with not a single scar or scratch on his muscular but lean body.
He cracks a smile, the chiseled features of his face giving a wolfish, predatory appearance.
"Not a scratch on me," he lifts a hand and feels his neck. Along with where the feathers had burrowed through his legs, they were perfectly healed, with no evidence of ever being injured.
"Hawks, number three hero," Law scoffs and begins walking toward the bedroom, "what a fucking joke, couldn't even last a minute with me in a real fight." 27
Entering the bedroom he walks toward the bed, the simple and small one-bedroom apartment, one his family had hidden away just outside of Tokyo that was made for times like this. In case they were ever fully compromised, with no access to their accounts or contacts, all alone with a bag of clothes and cash.
Located on the third floor of this five-story building it provides no real security, but nobody would look for him here.
He gets dressed in a pair of black sweatpants, leaving his shirt off as he takes out a laptop from his duffel bag. 5
Sitting against the backboard of the bed with the laptop on his lap and the bag beside him, he takes another look through the phone Nezu gave him, the camera already torn out.
"One contact and my family files," he says while scrolling through the few pictures he had. Only a couple dozen pictures of them on the rare outings over the years.
Looking past his feet he sees the full body-length mirror not far away, he scowls at himself then begins typing on the laptop.
"Shit…" he mutters, reports of Arsenal and The Heart Thief being captured by Hawks are already on news websites. He checks international news sites, and only sees more of the same.
Two international villains brought down by a young top-rated hero in Japan…they couldn't get the stories out fast enough.
"No real names, or faces, or extra information. Just a basic headline, and apparently Arsenal killed three heroes in the raid," Law shakes his head. "Nezu really did pull all the strings to make this happen."
Law considers Nezu's position once more, "the most influential person on the planet outside of world leaders," he thinks aloud. "If I were Nezu, I designed defense systems and infrastructure for countries and people across the world. I built supercomputers that are nearly comparable to my own brain, I contributed more to hero society and the education of heroes than anyone else in history…I poured almost all of my money into helping heroes across the globe."
Law sets the computer aside and brings up one of his knees, resting his arm on it.
"If I'm Nezu…I can lock anyone away, or get anyone out, after the public forgets them ofcourse," Law nods to himself. "If he keeps his word this will be easy, but how do I make sure he doesn't stab me in the back, I'm just another hero-killing villain to him…" 12
Law holds his head for a minute, wracking his brain trying to think of a solution.
"Never break a contract," he says to himself. "So I can't hold the patient hostage…" 5
"I don't alter contracts," he groans. "So I can't renegotiate if it changes, that means I'm in this for at least four years until I graduate," he moves the laptop aside and leans forward. 18
"Four damn years," he rummages around in the duffel bag and fishes out the picture Nezu brought him. 1
Taking out the picture he gently passes a hand over the paper, as if trying to feel that familiar warmth from it.
A picture of them on what looks to be an isolated beach area, him being only nine years old in the photo. Sitting beside his surfboard with both his parents beside him, their boards stood behind them. A popsicle in his hand just like them, all happily enjoying a summer day together.
He can't help but smile, feeling sadness beginning to take over, tears almost ready to begin flowing down his face. 3
As he feels the dam about the burst, however… 1
"Are you fucking crying?" His own disgusted voice ridicules him. 9
Law's eyes lazily drift up to look at the mirror, still sitting on the bed, leaning against the backboard, yet his reflection is standing in the mirror, pacing side to side in the room. 2
It stops, and stares directly at him. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" it asks, shaking its head in disapproval. "We aren't some weak sniveling pussy who cries about his problems. We don't waste our time in our own head thinking in circles like some useless impotent fuck! We get active and go solve the problem!" 32
Law takes a deep breath, and the dam is reinforced, suddenly feeling much calmer and more steady.
"That's right," the reflection nods. "None of that crap, we were raised and trained to be perfect. We can solve this, I know what you have to do," the reflection points at him, "that means you know exactly what you have to do…" 5
Law sighs, closes his eyes, and leans his head against the backboard, releasing a frustrated and annoyed groan.
"I know, it'll suck, but we've gotta do this. Nezu wants a hero, so we'll give him a fucking superhero. Someone Japan suddenly can't live without because we're just that much better than the cape and spandex morons." 22
The reflection opens its arms wide as if a crowd was cheering for him," we'll have them begging us, all those useless, nameless, faceless, pathetic, stupid, fucks! All those damn ants that can't fend for themselves or crawl themselves out of a burning building without some retard in spandex and a cape coming to hold their hand. We'll have them groveling at our feet, where they're meant to be. They'll want to build a monument to the sky with our name on it, and do you know why?" 26
Law nods, a smirk growing on his lips.
"That's right," the reflection chuckles, "Because we're just better than all those morons playing the hero-villain game. Better Quirk, better training, better in every way. They're trying to chase our backs, so desperate to catch up while running with no legs, while we're on the horizon, and once everyone sees how much better we are, they'll understand that they need us, and we don't need them." 23
Law smiles at that.
The reflection nods, "and they will give us whatever we want. They'll give us whoever we want back." 3
A serious look dominates Law's face as his eyes harden, brows furrowed.
"That's right," the reflection says, standing proud to look at Law who was still sitting on the bed. "Once they see how superior we are, our family will be back together again, our mistake will be fixed. We destroyed our family, we made the mistake, and this is how we fix it, even if it kills us." 24
Law nods.
"And when we're all back together, we'll make sure they never have to worry about a thing again," the reflection gives him a sad smile. "We owe them that much, it's the least we could do." 3
Law runs a hand through his hair at the thought of that.
"Hey hey," the reflection says in a soothing voice, "everyone wants a miracle, and that's exactly what we are. People all around the world will be dropping to their knees to suck us off, we just need to make the most of it, and we've got a whole year to do it before we have to go to that fucking circus Nezu runs." 15
Law takes a deep breath and then picks up the phone.
"That's right," the reflection says. "Call Nezu and tell him what we need, he wants us to be a hero. We'll be a super fucking hero, so good that everyone else looks like the trash they are, and when everyone sees our value, when they all need us, they see that we're a god, that we're above them, when we show them…yeah, when we've done that–" 7
Law smiles broadly, and a slight chuckle escapes his lips, "then we can do whatever we want…" 36
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 12: CHAPTER 011(Horizon)
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
–4 Days After Meeting Nezu…
Sitting on the couch of his condo Law is wearing simple shorts and a t-shirt, all black. A glass of scotch in his hand as he scrolls through a list of hotels in Switzerland.
ROOM!
Taking a sip of the drink he enjoys the familiar taste of it, placing the glass down on the coffee table as he drops his phone.
TAKT!
It hovers in place while he refills his glass with scotch. Refilling his glass he leans back into the couch and grabs the phone out of the air.
ROOM!
"This place looks about right," he says, finding a reasonably priced hotel in Bern that suites his purposes, losing access to all his family money truly hurt, and now he only has the cash they stored at this safe house. 5
Just after making his reservation, the phone begins to ring.
"Hello?"
"Hi there, I'm outside," Nezu's friendly voice answers back. 1
"On the sidewalk?" Law asks while opening a ROOM, reaching from his location all the way down to the other side of the street.
"Yes, I'm out front."
"Holding it?"
"Yes…" Nezu says a bit nervously, "I'm sitting in my car."
SCAN!
Law gets a full 3D map of the area, focusing on finding Nezu, sensing him in an armored SUV out front with his driver, a large metal briefcase in his arms as he sits in the back, phone raised to his ear. 1
"Shambles," Law tosses an ice cube to the couch opposite him, and just before it hits the couch it swapped with Nezu, briefcase, and phone in hands.
"Hngh," Nezu grunts as he falls from almost an inch above his new seat, looking up to frown at Law, "a little warning next time," he hangs up the phone and texts his driver.
"Sure thing," Law says. "Is everything ready?"
"I wouldn't have called if it wasn't," Nezu says. "Will you be able to operate here? If not I have a room reserved at a private facility."
"Here will be fine, the bedroom is ready," Law shrugs.
"I see…" Nezu silently looks around for a moment, taking in the simple apartment before noticing Law drinking alcohol. "You're fifteen, you shouldn't be drinking."
"It's been a rough week," Law shrugs. "Don't worry it doesn't actually do anything, want a drink?"
"Do you have tea?"
Law gestures to the kitchen, "feel free to do as you wish, I'd like to check out my gear," he nods toward the briefcase.
"Enjoy," Nezu says excitedly as he hops down from the couch and walks off toward the kitchen.
As Nezu walks away Law gets up and places the briefcase on the coffee table before returning to his own seat.
At the front of the metal case was a black smiley face with checkered teeth, large sold eyes, and a dot nose, six spokes protruding out of it with pieces of another broken concentric circle attached to them. 20
"You got the trademark for me?" Law asks.
"Of course," Nezu's voice calls out from the kitchen, his body hidden on the other side of the counter. "Horizon: Miracle Solutions Ltd. That smiley face is a strange logo but it's what you wanted." 5
"My dad's was hearts," Law says. "Mom's was gears, this is mine."
"Any all might inspiration?" Nezu asks cheekily from the kitchen.
"Mmm, yes and no, I figured people are only gonna see my back when I leave them in the dust, so it should at least be smiling," Law chuckles darkly and Nezu just shakes his head. 5
"You know you could have just said you wanted to heal people with a smile."
"I rather not lie," Law finally opens the case. 3
Staring back at him is a sleek visor, made of a super tough polymer, black with two blue eyes and white on both sides. Simple but mysterious and intimidating, exactly what he wanted. 30
Picking it up he gives it a once over, turning it at every angle and feeling it with his hands, smooth and cool. Looking underneath he sees blue circuits flowing within, entirely on the area at the back of the head.
"Anything I should know about this?" He asks while putting it on. The moment it's on he feels it tighten slightly, just enough to be perfectly comfortable, he also feels the base of the helmet extend all around. A hidden lip extends downward at the front and completely blocks his mouth, and he feels something like fabric reach down his chin.
"That feels weird," he says, his voice suddenly carrying a slight mechanical edge to it. "But…it doesn't feel like I'm wearing a helmet…doesn't really look like it either." He raises a hand to see if he could notice any visual change, but getting up to look into a nearby wall mirror, while the face of his helmet was still black with two simple blue eyes, from the inside the world was crystal clear. Perfectly crafted one-way vision. 5
Raising his head he looks under his chin, noticing the base of the helmet extend as if it tried to crawl down his neck, "huh…can't even feel it, and it doesn't bother my jaw at all when I talk."
"Obviously not," Nezu says before taking a sip of his tea, now sitting on the couch. "Power loader and I designed it personally, as well as your new sword, but that will remain at UA until you officially enroll, you can't take it off campus without a provisional license." 4
"I see," Law walks back over to the case and inspects the other items. Finding a set of dark black socks, long pants, gloves, and a long-sleeved shirt. Three of each. Looking inside them he sees that the outside is black but the inside is white, with the shirt having his logo in blue on the black side, and also in blue on the white side, as he requested. "Double sided huh." 2
"You asked for a white with the blue logo, but this was a more functional idea, plus the fabric comes in black so this was also faster, all three body gloves are the same, and they become active when fully connected, that includes the visor," Nezu says. 2
"Fully active?"
"Try it on…"
ROOM!
Law picks up each piece and gives it a quick SCAN, then shifts his gaze toward Nezu.
"I can't see your face to know what you're thinking," Nezu says, staring at the blank faceplate.
"I'll have to remember that, but trackers, really?"
Nezu shrugs, "it was a good idea at the time, and I figured you wouldn't have been able to find them."
Law just sighs and grabs each shirt, focusing on the trackers and then looking at his glass of scotch, focusing on the condensation at the base of the glass.
SHAMBLES!
Three small black objects, shaped like grains of rice, but one-third of the size, are swapped for drops of water.
"Incredible," Nezu mutters in awe. "How were you able to find and isolate them so easily?"
"I'll explain when the others get here, do I need to worry about a tracker built into the visor, or programmed into it?" Law asks. 6
"No, there wasn't any space for a tracker, and the only software is so you can use it as a wireless headset for your phone for better privacy, alongside the temperature control you requested." 9
"Good, I'll be taking your word for it, and thanks for not making the voice too mechanical." 2
"All I did was program the fabric, power loader did everything else, he's our resident support item genius after all," Nezu gloats, always happy to brag about his staff. 6
Law begins putting on the gloves and socks, flipping them inside out so the white side was showing. "Speaking of UA, shouldn't you be there since the school year just started…or is just about to start."
"It began yesterday, but I don't really have much to do this year since one of the first-year classes got expelled from the hero course." 4
"What, what do you mean a class got expelled?" Law asks, his slightly mechanical voice clearly surprised.
"We have a certain strict teacher that is very harsh with what he expects of heroes, he put them all into the general studies department directly afterward." 2
"Sounds like a dick," Law says. 3
"He means well, his ways are just a bit cold at times, but he will be your homeroom teacher next year. His quirk may be needed to help guide you," Nezu says. 1
"You mean to stop me from putting people in the ground?" 1
"That's one way to put it."
"What's his quirk, because it'll some serious magic to stop me," Law says as he finishes with the socks and gloves. Standing up he holds the pants and shirt, studying them for a moment. 1
"His quirk can temporarily erase other quirks," Nezu says. 2
"Shambles," Law's pants and shirt swap for the parts of the body-glove, now wearing the visor with his entire body covered in white fabric as the ROOM closes, retracting into himself. 4
"Shambles? That's what you call the warping?" Nezu asks curiously.
Law just turns toward him, allowing the blank visor to stare at Nezu for a moment.
"So Eraserhead huh," he looks at his body curiously, feeling the gaps between the separate pieces somehow being filled, as if the fabric itself was reaching out to the other parts and connecting. He walks over to the mirror and barely catches the tail end of the process, the turtleneck portion of his body glove reaching up to connect with his visor perfectly. "That's creepy…"
"Somewhat yes, but the smart fabric is needed to regulate temperature, which is a necessity for how long you plan to spend in that persona," Nezu explains. "And you looked into UA staff?"
"Always best practice to scope out a site before you enter."
"Fair enough."
"I can feel it cooling me down already," he notices a small thermostat appearing inside his visor before it disappears. "Body temperature gauge?"
"Precisely, as expected this equipment is purely for comfort so don't try to fight fire or ice user with this, it's meant to keep you cool on a warm day or warm on a cold day, nothing more. You'll still need a coat in the winter or ice-cream in the summer." 8
"It'll do, thanks. Now for the really important parts," he takes his seat back on the couch and pulls the case closer. Reaching into a small compartment to remove some documents.
Looking at the first set of documents, passport, birth certificate, ID, driver's license, medical license, all for his real identity of Law Matani.
"Wow," Law is genuinely surprised. "I expected just the basics honestly, medical license and even a driver's license?"
Nezu shrugs, "the doctors at central hospital put some of your more miraculous cases into a simulator after I gave them the relevant files. None of those people should have survived, they ever offered you a job. With that plus my own research, a medical license seemed earned." 2
"At fifteen, I know that since Quirks shook up the world there have been prodigies in a lot of things so exceptions are made, but…never figured you would have gone for it." 3
"Your medical skills are peerless, and you aren't using them for evil anymore so it's fine. The fact that your Quirk is a healing type made it very easy to get." 8
"Makes sense."
"The drivers' license was a bit more difficult honestly, getting you a license to drive any class of road vehicle in Japan, at fifteen, let's just say I had to get creative with the computers. But it still only took me a few minutes." 3
"I don't like public transport so thanks, especially since if things go as planned I should be able to afford some nice cars soon."
"Sooner than you think, you'll get all the information when you get there in person, but you'll certainly be able to get whatever toy you want."
"Mhm," Law continues reading the documents until something catches his eye, "Law Matani, Quirk: Heal?" 13
"Well, I couldn't put Hand Of God since that would reveal you to be Horizon as well," Nezu says. "I get that your Quirk allows you to warp and heal but that name is so pretentious, are you sure you don't want to change it?" 16
"My dad chose it for me, and it's very accurate, so it stays, besides I can do more than just warp and heal."
"Really?"
"You'll see eventually," Law says. He puts away his documents and takes a look at his second set, Horizon's. "You have the body glove and visor listed as Lifestyle Support Equipment, good, they can't legally have me remove or alter either then."
"Exactly, and even the picture is just that of your visor, be sure not to alter it."
"I know that much Nezu," Law continues looking through the documents, and he even has a driver's license for Horizon as well. "I don't think Horizon is gonna have any cars, he'll probably have a driver…unless I have a second house just for my cars as Horizon since I won't be able to bring them home…dual identity problems I guess…" 5
"Precisely why so many heroes just go public."
"Not worth it," he says sternly. "Put my current and future family in danger…I'd rather deal with the dual identity bullshit forever." 9
"True, the media won't report it much but villains tracking heroes to their homes isn't all that uncommon, not with people being so comfortable about showing their face."
"Exactly, I don't buy into the hero-centric media crap, I've been on the other side, I know how easy it is to track people down with just a face or Quirk name, never putting my family in that kind of danger just to save some strangers."
"I certainly can't argue against that, but most people don't take things as extreme as you do, although they usually aren't in such extreme circumstances."
"I want Horizon and Law Matani to be as different as possible," Law says. "One is the perfect pristine hero, and the other is a guy who looks like he belongs in a gang, tattoos and all. Nobody will ever connect them in person, just as you've made sure nobody can connect them digitally in Japan's system." 16
"True, but one thing… you don't have tattoos," Nezu points out.
"Not yet…" 9
"You'd go that far to separate your identities?" Nezu asks, not surprised but a bit concerned.
"No face tattoos, but yeah I don't see why not, when I retire or if I'm just off duty the last thing I want is people thinking I'm a hero and bothering me." 2
Nezu chuckles, "most people can't stop thinking about life as a hero, and you're more concerned about when you settle down and start a family," he nearly spills his drink as his chuckle devolves into a mad cackle. 2
Law just sighs and sits back, "don't think anything else really matters honestly."
Nezu catches his breath at this, "I can certainly respect your view on th–"
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Nezu's phone goes off, drawing their attention toward it.
Nezu picks it up and looks at the message before turning to Law, "seems like your first patient is here… doctor Horizon…" 22
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 13: CHAPTER 012(Toshinori Yagi) 3
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Law and Nezu turn to look down the connection hallway from their seats in the living room.
"Right on time," Law mutters, still not entirely used to the slightly mechanical nature of his voice through the visor.
Getting up he walks down the hallway and in a few steps is at the front door. Opening it he's greeted by the sight of a 180cm -5ft11-man in a beige trenchcoat, a suit kept below it. And standing behind this man is a 204cm -6ft8-blonde man, with spiky hair with two bangs at the sides of his face. Blue sunken eyes and hollow cheeks, appearing emaciated, as if he was ready to fall over into a shallow grave. 4
Both men stare back at Horizon, slightly surprised to be greeted by the black visor that only had two triangular blue eyes. A white body glove hiding every piece of skin that would have shown with his pair of black shorts and t-shirt. 5
"Come in," Horizon steps aside and gestures for them to enter, locking the door behind them. Both men gave him a nod as they pass by. But Horizon can't help noticing how the blonde man towered over his 180cm -6ft-self, along with the fact that his suit was a few sizes too large, hanging off his frame. 4
Walking behind both men the trio joins Nezu in the living room.
"Now that we're all here, how about introductions?" Nezu asks.
ROOM!
Horizon reaches out to the plain-looking man in the trench coat, "I'm Horizon, the doctor."
The man shakes his hand, "detective Naomasa Tsukauchi," after a firm handshake Tsukauchi steps back.
"Detective? As in the detective from when I met Nezu?"
Tsukauchi only nods and moves to take a seat.
Next, the tall blonde man reaches out with a large hand, Horizon feels the man's hand like a vice around his fingers for a moment, "Toshinori Yagi, it's a pleasure to meet you, doctor…"
Horizon's face tilts downward, shifting from looking up at the man to looking at his torso, "wow, so you must be my patient," he releases the man's hand. "Don't worry Yagi, I can help you."
"Please call me Toshinori if you'd like," the man says as he moves to join Tsukauchi on the couch, leaving Nezu and Horizon on single seats. 11
"Yagi is shorter," Horizon moves to take his seat. "I don't particularly care for naming traditions and formality, I always use the short or easier-to-say name," he shrugs. 1
"Ahh, that's fine as well," Yagi says.
Horizon nods, then claps once to get their attention, "so, now that the small talk is over, how much do these men know about me Nezu?"
"Only the bare minimum," Nezu says, putting down his tea cup. "Toshinori only knows that you're a miracle doctor, detective Tsukauchi knows the circumstances under our introduction, but your name, face, and everything else has been withheld, as well as the specifics of our deal, just as I promised."
"Good," Horizon reaches down to the table and picks up his glass. "Oh…help yourself to anything in the kitchen," the base of his visor retracts slightly so he can take a sip of his scotch. "So… I assume you're the one I'll be operating on in a minute or two?" he nods at Yagi. 2
Yagi freezes, looking between Horizon and the glass of alcohol in his hand, then back at Horizon, "you shouldn't drink before performing medical acts," he says. "Actually, you shouldn't drink at all, aren't you a minor?" 9
"And you shouldn't be alive with those injuries, but here we are," Horizon says. 6
"…"
"What? I can't have one or two drinks before performing a super invasive operation?" Horizon asks, half-jokingly.
Yagi and Tsukauchi freeze while Nezu quietly giggles to himself.
"I'm kidding, alcohol doesn't work on me, I just like the taste, also, don't ever tell me what to do," Horizon says. Yagi looks at Tsukauchi while Horizon keeps talking, "besides, you're already dying anyway, not like I could make it worse." 7
As Horizon takes another sip the trio stared at him, Tsukauchi and Yagi were surprised by the casual manner in which he spoke about death, but Nezu wasn't surprised in the least.
"What do you mean?" Yagi asked.
"Well," Horizon raises a hand to count on his fingers. " One; You've only got one lung and its barely functioning, two; your stomach is the size of an apple and is also barely functioning, three; both your intestines are missing most of their length, four; your bone marrow doesn't have enough nutrients and can't process enough water to make blood, and five; your left kidney has already failed." 1
None of them are surprised by the diagnosis, this was all that they'd known for years, but Yagi asked what they were all thinking. "How do you know about all of that?" 1
"When I shook your hands," Horizon says, placing his now empty glass on the table and his visor seals itself, voice becoming slightly mechanical once more. "I did a full body scan of both of you, I can single out the obvious things with just a passing graze but if I'm going to scan down to the cellular level I need a few seconds." 1
"That's why you didn't let go at first," Yagi says.
"Mhm, and it's also how I know that the detective has some kind of ear Quirk, unless those extra bones in there are for show," he turns to Tsukauchi. "So, Super Hearing?"
Tsukauchi sighs, "lie detection, and impressively, you've never lied in my presence."
Horizon chuckles, "I see why Nezu keeps you around, and yeah, lying is for people too weak or pathetic to handle the consequences of their actions, it's beneath me." 21
Tsukauchi shakes his head, "I don't know if I should be impressed or concerned that you genuinely believe that…"
Nezu laughs, causing everyone to look at him, "well it's good to see everyone getting along well enough."
Tsukauchi grumbles but they ignore it as Horizon speaks, "so I assume you can't tell me what caused the injuries, right?"
"So long as you don't share the information with anyone else," Yagi says.
"Doctor-client confidentiality, I'll take it to my grave."
Yagi looks at Tsukauchi who nods, then he explains. "I was attacked, Rivet Stabs, SuperPower, Lighting Surge, and a few other Quirks, all at once."
"I see, a team of villains huh," Horizon says. Yagi nods along, not wanting to expose the truth of All For One. "Well from the looks of it you've got, at best eight years."
"That long!" Yagi's eyes open wide. "But the other doctors said that my injuries…that nobody can survive in my condition…"
"How long ago did this happen?"
"Four years ago," Yagi says.
"I see," Horizon leans back and taps the chin of his visor. "Well, you wouldn't have lasted even a few minutes if your Quirk wasn't so abnormal."
Nezu, Yagi, and Tsukauchi all sit up straight at that. "What exactly do you mean?" Nezu asks.
"His quirk is like nothing I've ever seen before, at least not outside of myself."
"Your Quirk is like mine?"
"No, not at all, your Quirk is obviously a power-type, the complete opposite of mine. But while mine allows me a sort of dominion over my mind and body like no other, yours provides energy at a cellular level. Your organs haven't been able to sustain you for years but it's like your Quirk has so much energy that it stretched your final few minutes into years. Assuming you never actively use your Quirk, the energy it provides you can take you to eight more years at best."
"That long," Yagi whispers in awe. "But what if I do use it?" he can't help but ask.
"I can't imagine a situation where you'd ever think that was a good idea," Horizon says. "Every bit of energy you expend is directly taking time off your life, the time you could be spending with your family or friends, if you want those full eight years then you should retire and try to take it easy." 2
"Mmm, everyone says that, but I can't do that, not yet, not until–" Yagi stops himself, realizing what he was about to say. "Not quite yet."
"Well it's your life, throw it away if you want," Horizon shrugs. "But for the record, I don't appreciate people wasting my time, and me extending your life for you to throw it away is exactly that, you're lucky being your doctor is part of my contract."
"Thank you," Yagi bows respectfully. As he sits back up he then asks, "how exactly can you help me? The best doctors in the world couldn't do anything," Yagi immediately panics and waves his hands about, "not that I'm doubting your abilities doctor!" 1
Horizon grumbles slightly then thinks for a moment, "I won't be able to completely save you from death, only extend your life slightly. If I was the doctor on site when you were first injured I could have gotten you back into top form…but at the time I was only eleven–"
"You're fifteen!" Yagi and Tsukauchi yell.
"Huh, I assumed you knew," Horizon looks at Nezu.
"I told you they don't know anything but the bare minimum," Nezu shrugs.
"Right, but I assumed you told them my age at least," Horizon sighs. "But anyway, perfect training since I was four then manifesting a powerful Mystery Class Quirk when I was five–"
"Mystery Class!" Yagi yells. Horizon revealed this about his quirk simply because the classification was on his ID. 3
"Plus constant training…means I'm the miracle doctor of your dreams, at only fifteen," Horizon shrugs. "And yeah, Mystery Class."
"A Mystery Class healing Quirk?" Yagi asks.
"Healing, warping, some other things too," Horizon shrugs. "All that matters is that it'll let me operate on you. I'll be able to restructure your organs and some of your bone marrow while healing it, pushing cell regeneration as opposed to cell activation, which I assume Recovery Girl used a lot to keep you alive, right?"
"Right," Nezu nods.
"Yeah well, most Heal Quirks force cell activation, effectively healing you by cutting down your life span since cells can only divide so many times within a lifespan and that's what it triggers. I'm able to use external energy to trigger 'cell regeneration', which is an unnatural process that doesn't cut into your lifespan. That paired with some of the other things I can do, I'll be able to get you from eight years up to fifteen years…assuming you don't use up more energy than needed to survive," Horizon shrugs, as if it were such a casual matter. 9
"A living miracle," Nezu says, all while Yagi and Tsukauchi are staring in awe. "I see why you chose that name for your company." 3
"Thank you," Yagi nearly doubles over as he bows, sincerely thankful for anything Horizon can do to help.
"Is there any way we could have saved him entirely?" Nezu can't help but ask, and all eyes shift to Horizon once more.
"Yeah, organ transplants within a week or two of the injury. It's too late for any of that now, his Quirk saturated the damaged tissue so much that if any foreign organs try to attach the energy it provides would overwhelm, reject, then destroy it," Horizon shrugs. 25
"I see," Yagi says. "And are you ready to operate?" he looks around the small apartment, unsure of what happens next.
"Yeah I've got everything set up," Horizon stands up and begins walking away, waving his hand in the air, "just follow me, this should only take an hour or two at most…" 3
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 14: CHAPTER 013(Doubts) 2
Read auxiliary chapter World Info before starting the story.
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge Tsukauchi returns to his seat on the couch, anxiously waiting for All Might and Horizon to return, ready to act in case anything happens.
Taking a sip from his water he places it on the coffee table and leans back, glancing over at Nezu who was happily reading something on his phone.
"How can you be so calm about this?" he asks Nezu.
"About what?"
"All of this, I know you have 'an intellect beyond human comprehension,' as you say because of your Quirk, but isn't this a bit much even for you?"
Nezu puts down his phone to give Tsukauchi his full attention, "you don't think we can trust Horizon?"
"He has power, motive, and at the moment since he has Toshi under the knife, leverage," Tsukauchi says.
"True," Nezu confirms. "Thankfully he doesn't care about any of that."
"And you're sure of this?"
"I already told you, I had him figured out from the moment I sent you that recording to verify. As powerful and capable as he is, his weaknesses are quite obvious, his family, and his obsessive need to upkeep any contract he agrees to, even if it turns out to be much more difficult than expected. He'd die before he breaks or renegotiates a contract, and all he wants is his family back, we can trust him so long as we don't betray his trust in us…in me." 8
"And what will Toshi think about you letting a serial assassin off the hook just so he can operate on him, you and I are a bit looser in situations like this, but you know he isn't, not if it's to save only his own life instead of others." 3
"He'll see all the good Horizon can do when he becomes a hero," Nezu says matter of factly. "That should convince him that I made the right decision, plus, he's only a child still. As mature and experienced as he may be, he's young, without his parents whispering in his ear who knows what he'll become." 13
Tsukauchi sighs, "that's what I'm afraid of, we don't know what he'll become. But we know what he is now, this could go very badly Nezu."
"Or we could have a new national power on our hands," Nezu says.
Tsukauchi immediately realizes what Nezu is thinking, he takes a deep breath and tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling. "Nezu," he pinches the bridge of his name, "what is his Quirk really?" 5
"Hand Of God." 2
Tsukauchi's eyes shoot open and he stares at the bear-mouse. "What? What the hell does that even mean?" 5
"No clue," Nezu shrugs. "He refused to give me more than a name, didn't explain or list any abilities, but gave me the classification, Mystery Class."
"So you're taking his word for it that his Quirk 'exceeds all logical and scientific comprehension' to be named Mystery Class, you realize only one person in history has ever gotten that classification, right." 14
"I know."
"And how is our government dealing with Horizon suddenly appearing in their system with that Quirk?"
"I've spoken to Pantu and Bosu about it, they won't bother us," Nezu assures him.
"And when America learns that they aren't the only people with a Mystery Class, that suddenly Start and Stripe may have competition…" 16
"Obviously the requests will flood in for him to study and migrate to the states, but he'll stay here since that's his contract." 1
Tsukauchi sighs, "you seriously want to make this kid into the next All Might?"
"No, he'll never be All Might," Nezu leans forward and takes a sip of his tea before he continues. "A few days ago he contacted me, told me he wants to show everyone how useful he is, its obvious what method of thinking he follows."
"And what might that be?"
"Simply that it's better to be a necessity than to be liked. He will never be a symbol of peace like All Might, but he will be a dependable hero that Japan can lean on in the future, and that's enough, don't you think?" 7
"Assuming he doesn't put a sword in your back," Tsukauchi grumbles in response. "My Quirk hasn't detected a single lie out of him, ever, but I just don't like this whole situation. A confirmed killer walking the streets like a hero, sitting in a classroom with people who want to be real heroes, it's… I can't even put a word to how messed up it is." 12
Nezu sighs, "if people were incapable of change, especially people so young, then I would still be on my quest to eliminate all humans for what they did to me in that lab," he raises a hand absentmindedly to touch his scar. "I believe he can be a force for good, just like I am now." 22
Tsukauchi relents, "yeah…I suppose that's true. But I'm still not won over just yet, even if he does help Toshi. He's dangerous Nezu, don't ever forget that. Healing and Scanning aside, Warping is a monstrous Quirk in the hands of any enemy, and we know he's good at fighting with it. Only a few of those Quirks exist in the world that we know of, and he's the only one proficient or actively using his."
"I know, all the more reason to finally have a hero with a warping Quirk, don't you think."
"Yeah, I suppose. But what about that thing he did to Chrome, tore through his organs and brain without cracking his tungsten skin, did he say anything about that ability?"
"No, he refuses to speak on his Quirk, says the information is too valuable to be in any system or the hands of anyone else." 1
"Of course he'd be paranoid, when considering his criminal life and history it makes sense."
"Mhm," Nezu nods in agreement. "If he had the attitude of a hero I would have pushed for him to get a full hero license immediately, already more capable than most pros. But as you know, he needs time among aspiring heroes so that he can see what it's really all about, it won't work unless he wants to be a hero on his own." 9
"If he's as smart as you say then you realize he knows that's your plan, right?"
"He does, he essentially confirmed as much, he also told me his plan to use his new Medical License to build his brand, and I offered a way to help him."
"Build a brand?"
"Horizon Miracle Solutions," Nezu waves his hands about as if it were a big reveal, only to earn a blank stare from Tsukauchi.
"What?"
"I used my connections to get him access to some influential people, that way when he enters UA he won't be starting from zero in terms of name recognition."
"And it'll instantly put eyes on him, get him into more situations where he gets essentially forced to see how great heroes can be, and accelerates his growth because of it. You're using his plan and popularity to guide him to be more heroic…that's damn brilliant." 6
"Exactly, since it's the same as his own plan nothing has to change, I've simply made it much, much more effective. But there is one thing I can't account for…" 2
"What's that?"
"His attitude, you've heard him speak, what do you think?"
"Aside from the fact that he's an uncaring asshole?" Tsukauchi asks, recalling how casual Horizon was about delivering life-changing news and a death sentence earlier. He recalls what Horizon said about liars and people who break contracts as well, and something clicked in his mind, "he's a very hard judge…of himself, right? He holds everyone to the same standards as himself and isn't shy about telling them when they're failing." 5
"My thoughts as well," Nezu nods along. "He's also very direct and abrasive, downright vulgar to get his point across most directly, hates being told what to do, and will attack anyone who even mentions his parents in a bad light, add the fact that he'll talk down to or ridicule anyone who doesn't meet the standards he has for himself and I don't know what effect being at UA could have on him, much less being a full pro." 14
"A powder keg to blow up in our face or to take down villains, damn…" 2
Nezu nods along, "I'm sure he will do great things for us. And Japan will finally have its own Mystery Class hero, with All Might stepping down, hopefully soon, we'll need it…" 3
–1 Hour Later…
"You've finished already?" Tsukauchi asks, blatant concern in his voice as Horizon takes a seat opposite him.
"Yeah, it went exactly as I said, he's already getting dressed and should be out in a minute," Horizon leans back and takes a deep breath. "Everything ready Nezu?"
"You can head to the airport immediately, everything is already set up and they're expecting you, and you'll be using my jet."
"Perfect…"
A few minutes later and Toshinori enters the living room, looking around and taking careful steps, trying to get used to the strange feeling in his body.
Tsukauchi gets up and walks over to him, "how are you feeling? You should sit down. Is everything alright?"
Toshinori laughs and pats his friend on the shoulder, "I haven't felt this good in years, I can finally breathe properly…and, I'm hungry."
"I fixed your stomach," Horizon says, already scrolling on his phone. "You went from having eight years to having fifteen years, don't waste them. I'm sending Nezu a list of vitamins for you to take daily, they should help, plus a new diet. Aside from that, you're all done here," he shrugs.
"I see," Toshinori says before turning to Horizon and bowing, completely doubling over. "Thank you doctor Horizon, I'll never forget what you've done for me today."
Beneath his visor Horizon rolls his eyes, "don't thank me, thank Nezu, I was just doing my job and sticking to my contract, no big deal."
"But still, thank you."
"Sigh, yeah yeah, now if that's all can we please wrap this up, I've got a jet waiting for me…" 20
END CHAPTER–
Volume 1 is complete, onto volume 2… 6
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Chapter 15: CHAPTER 014(The Miracle List)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the back of an armored SUV, Nezu's armored SUV, Horizon idly scrolls through various vacation spots around the world. 1
He is dressed in a simple black suit to contrast his white body glove, visor, and a single black duffel bag at his side, he nods along to the music playing, using his visor like a wireless headset to the phone Nezu gave him.
He feels the car come to a gentle stop and looks out the window. They'd already arrived at the airport, only a dozen meters away was Nezu's jet. A luxury 20m -65ft-white jet with a decal of Nezu at the side waving and smiling. Along with 'NEZU' written on the side is colorful letters. 3
Horizon rolls his eyes as he grabs his bag and gets out, "when I buy mine I'll make sure it doesn't look like a five-year-old decorated it…" he grumbles. 2
Walking to the jet he sees three people standing outside at the base of the short staircase.
A man, a woman, and a third person with a strange quirk, they almost appeared to be made of water, difficult to tell if they even had a gender. All wearing dress shirts and pants.
As Horizon walks up the first man extends his hand, which Horizon shakes, "I assume you're the captain," he nods to the man.
"That I am doctor," the man gestures to the liquid person standing beside him, "my co-pilot and our flight attendant, the weather is clear and we're all fueled. It should only be seven hours to Bern." 2
"Perfect, I'll be in your care," Horizon nods to the others. The woman reaches to carry his bag but he shakes his head, "I'll take care of it."
"Oh, understood doctor," she politely nods and gestures for him to walk up the stairs.
He doesn't hesitate, but is sure to announce as he walks to the top, " I'd rather you just call me 'Horizon,' doctor still feels a bit odd…"
Atleast that's what he said, but in truth, being called doctor annoyed him to no end. 9
In his eyes, 'anyone can become a doctor, but the only me…is me.' 23
A few minutes later and Horizon is sitting stiffly in the comfy leather seat of the jet, a small table in front of him with a seat on the other side occupied by his bag.
Looking out the window as the pilots position the jet for takeoff he anxiously taps his fingers on the table.
As he sinks into his seat when they begin accelerating his tapping continues, quickly feeling his sense of absolute control being ripped away.
He looks out the window to see Tokyo shrinking beneath them and less than a minute later it's far behind them.
A few minutes after that and the view is filled with clouds.
Before he realizes it the flight attendant is standing at his table, a pleasant smile on her face as she speaks to him, "would you perhaps like a refreshment to help you relax?" she asks, with only good intentions. It was impossible not to see his constant tapping on the table.
"I'm fine, thank you," he politely refuses, trying to ignore the fact that they were already up to probably 1000mph -1600kmph-, as expected of a year 2112 luxury jet. 5
"Just call if you need anything," she gestures to one of the buttons built into the table and a few other places about the lounge area.
"I will," he says, dismissing her.
Trying to distract himself he reaches across the table and takes out his laptop, connecting his visor and computer he starts playing some music, light lofi background music, and starts typing. 4
"I'll call it 'The Miracle List,' yeah," he thinks aloud, another attempt to distract himself from his current location.
"Typing everything that I can heal is too long, so I'll focus on what I can't heal. Genetic deterioration. Genetic deformities. Some mental disorders too…" his fingers move like lightning to compile the specifics of his arrangement. 1
"When I work for people do I want them talking," he thinks on it for a moment then shrugs. "More chatter means more competition, that means better bids, and I can go from unknown to celebrity during the sports festival, get ahead of everyone else," he chuckles.
"I'll make it so that they can reveal anything they want but I can't, since I'm the doctor, special agreements for special scenarios of course," he sits back and looks at the document he made.
Nearly five pages of specifics. Everything from what he provides to confidentiality to where he's willing to travel to meet with patients.
"And I should also tell them that I'll only be able to travel outside of Japan for the next eleven months, that gives me a month to settle back in Japan before UA… doubt Nezu wants me ditching class and hero duties because I got a nice offer…"
He types some more, and before he knows it he's already had a few drinks and a full meal while working.
Finishing up the last of his document, it now being a full twelve pages of very clear and specific requirements and services, he only has one more thing to do.
"Price," he mutters. Leaning back into his seat to consider it very carefully. "My clients are supposed to be the most wealthy people in the world, but I don't really have any sense of how to price things like this…the standard prices dad used won't apply here for what I'm trying to do. These people see every bit of money they spend as a flex of their status. And if I'm too conservative with the price they'll think it's bullshit…fuck."
"How do you put a price on time? Time with a loved one, time added to your own life…how?" he spends a few minutes thinking about it before finally giving in, deciding that maybe some outside perspective would help. 2
Pressing the button on the table once more the flight attendant quickly arrives. As she's about to take the empty glass and plate away he raises a hand to stop her, "I'd actually like to ask you something, if that's alright with you."
"Uh, I mean, yes sir," she nods.
He gestures for her to take the seat opposite him which she does, after moving his bag.
"How may I help you, sir?"
"I'm trying to price my product, and I'm hitting a roadblock here, I was hoping you'd be able to give some perspective."
"Oh, of course, sir," she smiles and nods, excited at the idea of a medical prodigy asking her opinion.
"My product is time, how much would you pay for that?"
She freezes, then looks confused, then shakes her head and blinks a few times. "Do you mean? Like rewinding time?" 5
"No that wouldn't solve anything," Horizon scoffs at the idea. "Rewinding time wouldn't necessarily heal the things I can, I'm talking about a miracle cure. How much would you pay for something that would give you more time in your life, or with the people you care about, that kind of time."
Her eyes widen at the idea, suddenly realizing she was sitting opposite something humans have been searching for since the beginning of time, a miracle elixir.
As he waits patiently she scrunched her face, trying to imagine all the sick people she wished would get better. How much she'd pay to have her parents in perfect health, to heal her kids if something terrible happened.
Eventually, she releases a tired sigh, and gives an apologetic look, "I'm sorry sir, but I think all lives are equally invaluable, none can be summed up for any amount of money. I'd give any and everything I have for what you're describing," she nods.
"All lives equal and precious?" he almost laughs at the idea, a certain lightness in his slightly mechanical voice. "Well that's a stupid idea," he scoffs. "But I suppose most people view things like that, that everyone is equal and should be saved instead of measured by the value and services they can provide… certainly makes pricing this a lot harder." 4
She keeps a polite expression, suppressing her disgust at his words and the urge to launch into a tirade or simply yell at his blatant disregard for human lives. Giving a polite bow she stands up, "I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help to you sir," she says while clearing the dishes from the table. 3
"On the contrary, you told me everything I needed, thank you," he nods and begins typing once more.
As she walks away he continues speaking to himself, "I don't need to put a price on anything. All I do is set the minimum and let them decide, how much they care and how much money they have will dictate how high the bids go, just need to set a minimum…"
After a few more minutes of typing a page of rules for the bidding he saves the document once more,
"Minimum bid of 10 million USD, gifts can be added but the cash bid dictates the initial ranking…perfect." 17
He saves it one last time then hits send, almost instantly receiving a confirmation from the man he was on the way to meet.
Checking the time Horizon closes the laptop and leans back into his seat, seeing rolling clouds outside his window, Asia 38km below him. The view itself helped him relax and drift off to sleep.
Only a few more hours until they arrived at Bern, and sleeping was the best way for him to not be anxious the entire flight…
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 16: CHAPTER 015(Swiss Vault) 2
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
As the plane descends to the runway, Horizon looks out the window at the mountainous swiss landscape. Picturesque, somehow layered with the massive sprawling city of Bern, the capital of Switzerland. 2
One of the only places Horizon has ever been that he can honestly say, perfectly blends traditional architecture and the modernity of 2114, it truly was a sight to behold. 8
A winding river dividing the city, bridges built over it, appearing as if they were built hundreds of years ago, the style perfectly emulated, but no older than he was.
Skyscrapers reaching to the heavens as if trying to compete with the mountains in the distance, a fruitless effort as the snow-capped peaks give a sense of grandeur that no skyscraper could ever match.
He can't help but smile beneath his mask, thankful that he'd never be able to forget this portrait-like view, with light snow falling upon the city.
"I could get used to this," he mutters as the plane touches down.
A moment later the jet comes to a full stop, and Horizon gets up, bag already secured at his side, and makes his way to the exit ramp.
He receives a stiff nod from the flight attendant before exiting the jet. Immediately greeted with the sight of a literal mountain only two hundred meters away.
Covered in trees and grass, but with a section carved into it at the side of the runway. Doors running parallel to the landing strip itself.
But perhaps doors wasn't the right word at all.
"Wow," was all he could say. Two massive tungsten gates. Each is thirty meters tall and together fifty meters wide. The Switzerland coat of arms pained in the middle of the otherwise black surface, a red shield with a white cross. 8
Making it to the end of the ramp his gaze finally drops, seeing all the fortified buildings along the runway and especially toward the gate.
He takes a moment to appreciate no longer being on the plane. He had no fear of flying it itself. But moving at nearly 500 meters per second meant his Quirk was damn near useless, the travel speed would rip him out of his ROOM before he could give any real commands, it's the only time he has no true control of his world. 17
Casting that thought aside he focuses back on the view around him.
The light snow falls around him as he turns to see two small carts, one with a driver already in the seat and a slim blonde man standing beside it, the other driver approaches and politely takes his bag, after some hesitation on Horizon's part.
"I see you're awestruck by the magnificence of my nation," the blonde man says in clearly rusty Japanse, this thick accent somewhat slurring the words. He walks up and reaches out the shake Horizon's hand.
"I speak your languages sir, we may speak normally," Horizon says while shaking his hand, oddly fluent Swiss German leaving his mouth. "And yes, this country is breathtaking." 9
The man smiles and takes a step away, turning to gesture at the mountain fortress, "she truly is one of a kind," he says, returning to his usual Swiss German. "And it seems I stayed awake refreshing my Japanese for nothing, yes?"
Horizon chuckles, "my mother traveled a lot for work, she taught me that learning a language is always better than having a translator, more reliable…and secure."
The man nods, "a woman after my own heart, please allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Lock, I control this unique establishment," he gestures to the entire area around them. 1
Looking down the runway Horizon couldn't see the end, he also couldn't see barriers in any direction aside from the mountain itself. "It certainly is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Mr. Lock, I am Horizon…and please, don't call me 'doctor,' it's already gotten old for me," he chuckles.
"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, now, shall we," he gestures to the leading cart and Horizon begins walking toward it. "So, Mr. Horizon–"
"Horizon is fine, no need for titles with me."
"Ahh, then I suppose you may simply call me Lock," they arrive at the cart and both take their seats. " So, what has Mr. Nezu told you about us?"
"Almost nothing," Horizon says as the cart begins driving toward the gates. "He said that you can facilitate my business, handle the bids and cash flow, as well as manage my assets."
Lock chuckles, "he truly spoils me, he knows how much I enjoy giving the breakdown and tour."
"Oh, then please, enlighten me on this mysterious place."
"This my new friend, is Swiss Vault," Lock says as they arrive at the gates. Unlike anything he expected, a portal opens a few meters before the gates for them to drive through.
The border was angular, with each point appearing like a shining star, giving the sense that they drove into a constellation. The portal made it visible what was on the other side, a massive black and gold palace-like atrium.
Ceilings twenty meters high, massive columns of black marble along the walls, guards standing posted. And a woman positioned above who was giving energy to the portals.
"The doors never open if not absolutely necessary," Lock says. "She is our Gatekeeper, warping Quirks are among the rarest, only a handful exist, and we were fortunate enough to hire one."
"Truly incredible," Horizon admits, opening a perfect Warp Gate is something that anyone could be envious of and see the appeal in.
"A necessary measure to protect our assets," the cart comes to a stop as Lock nods toward Gatekeeper.
She closes her eyes and focuses, then a dagger appears to float above her, glowing bright white before staking the ground a few feet ahead of them.
Another gate opens, this time leading to an office overlooking the runway itself.
"My office," Lock says, gesturing for Horizon to enter.
"I like your style Lock," he says, entering before Lock, followed by the bag handler who rests his bag on a table in the office. 1
Lock moves to take a seat at his desk and Horizon sits opposite him, not spending more than a passing glance at the pristine and luxurious office, clearly black and gold were Lock's colors.
"So, impressed yet?" Lock asks, a cheeky grin on his lips. "Nezu said you'd be impossible to impress."
"This facility, and your staff, are incredible, but I'm still not sure what exactly it does."
"That's why we're here, the fun part," Lock smiles. "What do you remember about World War three?" 7
"The long or short version?" Horizon asks.
"Short version."
Horizon relaxes back into his seat. "After the advent of Quirks countries started an arms race, five years later war is declared after both America and Germany each invent entirely green and cheap alternative synthetic fuels using Quirks. Some militias took over Africa, and Europe tore itself apart." 3
"Go on…"
"And the entire world nearly burned itself to the ground. Countries had to call off the war because of internal threats, the first wave of Villains. Since then the entire world went from fighting each other to focusing everything on internal security, hasn't been a single military skirmish between nations since, almost two hundred years," Horizon shrugs. "Did I mention what you wanted?" 6
"Close enough," Lock says. "During that war, Switzerland, like many nations, went bankrupt. We became scraps for everyone to pull apart, and because of our location, we didn't last a week. Our main resources before Quirks were Salt, Granite, Sand, and Marble." 8
"All cheaper than dirt because of early Quirks," Horizon says.
"Exactly. We had nothing, and until fifty years ago we were heavily dependent on our allies to help us, until…"
"Swiss Vault?" Horizon asks.
"Exactly," Lock says excitedly. "Fifty years ago a mouse was discovered to have a Quirk–"
"Nezu…"
"Yes, High Spec, intellect beyond comprehension. He saw our situation, and on his campaign across the world to design systems and infrastructure, he came to us. With his consultation, we reformed our national constitution, mainly in the areas of taxes and privacy laws, and became the world's largest asset and capital holding company." 4
"Swiss Vault?"
"Switzerland," Lock corrects him. "We have no villains. Our best military assets are within this mountain protecting the vaults and supercomputers, also designed by Nezu. Our business is money, and it's brought us out of that slump and into fortune once more." 1
"I see," Horizon brings a finger up to tap the chin of his visor. "And how does it work exactly."
"In theory, it's actually quite simple," Lock says. "Effectively speaking we offer a subscription service. You open an account with us, we hold your assets and funds under the name of the Swiss government, insured by the Swiss government. And each year you pay either fifty million USD or five percent of your assets, whichever comes first. If the payment cannot be made or you cancel your account, then all assets are transferred back into your name."
"So if I get into any legal trouble…"
"What are they going to do? You don't technically own those assets since it's on our name, not yours," Lock shrugs. "They can't arrest Switzerland, and with Nezu's assistance we effectively have immunity so long as it's short of starting a war." 3
"But if my name is on it–"
"No name," Lock shakes his head. "Only a number and biometric security, which is protected by our privacy section of the Swiss constitution."
"Very smart, as expected of Nezu," Horizon says. 7
"We are a full-service company to act as the middle man, so to speak. If you require any service that can be legally purchased in your current country and don't want the hassle of sorting it out, we can take care of things for you. Want us to host a business for you, sure. So long as it involves money we have no issue with such things, and the infrastructure for your own business has already been constructed."
"Hmm, no wonder Nezu sent me here. You're exactly what I need, a way to move my assets without worrying about someone connecting my identities," Horizon says.
"Another thing protected by our laws, I assure you. The only way anyone will know that either of your identities are connected to us is if you inform them," Lock says.
"Right," Horizon nods. "I guess now we've just got to get to reading the contract…"
Lock reaches down and rests a stack of nearly five hundred pages on the desk. 3
Horizon loudly groans, "Of course…"
–2 Hours Later…
"How are the tax laws this simple?" Horizon asks, handing over the final page of the four-hundred-page contract before storing his copy in his bag. 4
Lock smiles and chuckles slightly, "the office of many world leaders -at least the ones that can afford it-each have an account with us. We also only offer services to people or companies with a total value of atleast ten billion dollars, you being the only exception. They have a very good reason to keep tax laws…lenient, for us."
"Wow," Horizon nods. "That's a pretty high bar of entry." 3
"Exclusivity and security demand it," Lock says as he sets the contract aside and reaches down, placing a black briefcase on the desk between both men.
"What's this?"
"Your membership package," Lock opens the briefcase and turns it around to face Horizon. He pops it open to reveal a few objects. A sleek black laptop, smartphone, and a banking card, all with Horizon's logo already printed on them in blue. 7
"So Nezu told you about the logo," he chuckles, reaching down to pick up the phone.
The moment he does it activates, and begins powering up.
"The biometrics were set to imprint when you touch it," Lock explains. "Your account has officially become active and the bids for your services have already begun."
"Scanned me through my gloves, not bad," he sets the phone aside to inspect the cards. 1
"Those are directly connected to your account, they're made of platinum, and can be used with any bank globally, even the most obscure banks. And can only be used by your or any person you give access to your account." 2
"So only ever me, nice. I assume the laptop is the same thing?" 1
"Exactly so. If any of these breaks or are reported lost we will contact you, or you may return here for a replacement."
"Good to know," Horizon puts the cards in his wallet and leaves the phone and laptop on the desk. "And about the bids?"
"Already connected to both your new devices, I recommend only using them for your business. We have one of the best cyber security systems in the world, best put it to use." 4
"You really do provide everything, so, shall we see how good business looks?" 2
"Be my guest," Lock gestures to the closed laptop and leans back into his chair, watching Horizon open it up. With the screen facing away from him to protect Horizon's privacy he only sees the blurry reflection in the visor as Horizon leans forward.
Horizon couldn't believe what he was seeing, the list constantly changing, the leading bid increasing by the second as people fought for the top spot.
"This is a lot higher than I expected, and it's barely been a minute," Horizon says in awe.
"I may have changed it slightly," Lock confesses, causing Horizon's head to snap toward him. "I did some data collection and found that the starting 10 million dollar bid you set was too low, the clients felt insulted or as if they were being scammed, especially considering the services you claimed to provide. So I changed the opening bid, 50 million was much more reassuring to them." 21
Looking back to the screen Horizon saw the highest bid at nearly 200 Million and just shrugged. "Well, I won't complain…not. One. Bit. Looks like I'm on the way to hitting the ten billion dollar requirement you have, huh?"
Lock chuckles, "that would still make you account number five thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine in terms of the pure liquid value."
"How many do you even have?"
"Five thousand seven hundred and twenty-nine, now that you've joined," Lock smiles cheekily. "But this is good, I've informed all those account holders of your service and since Swiss Vault is the middle man, good business for you is good business for us." 6
Horizon laughs at that, "get your interests to line up with that of all the powerful people and you're well protected, very clever."
"Well, it was Nezu's idea," Lock admits.
"I'll be sure to thank him when I see him, but for now, it's time to get rich, I think I'll quite enjoy that…"
"And I'll enjoy the business you bring us," Lock says as they shake hands, putting an end to this meeting…
12 Months Until UA… 12
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 17: CHAPTER 016(May 2114)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
Within a makeshift operating room, there are two men. 1
One lays face down, strapped to a soft massage table, his top bare, a rectangular hole running down the middle of his entire back, spine completely removed. Looking into the exposed cavity the soft beats of his heart can be seen thumping away.
His idle snores are soft and barely audible, and he feels nothing while the doctor works.
At a small table way from the man sits Horizon, the man's spine lay on the metal table.
The five bones at the base fractured and splintered, steadily being repaired and fused together.
Unbecoming of the miraculous operation that was taking place, the room looked no different than a simple bedroom. The steady beats of the heart monitor were barely heard over Horizon's humming.
His head bobs along to the tune in his mind as he casually performs the impossible. 4
Horizon was wearing an outfit many would consider ill-suited to this usually bloody operation. Thankfully his Quirk allowed him to remove only the spine. A simple white suit, his body glove showing the same color, black visor with blue eyes looking down at the spine as his hands moved about.
Tweezers in one hand and a scalpel in the other, carefully binding bones and nerves back together.
Thankfully his quirk allowed harmless and painless operations.
As he finishes putting the final pieces of this bone jigsaw puzzle back together, Horizon can't help but let a few words of the tune in his head slip out.
"Best to, give me your loyalty,
'cause I'm taking the world you'll see,
they'll be calling me, calling me,
they'll be calling me royalty…" 19
He places a hand on the now fully reconstructed spine and focuses his energy.
"Booster Shot," he mutters. He feels his stamina drain slightly as blue energy radiates from his body and flows into the spine. The cracks and fractures on each segment perfectly heals, he hears the heart monitor spike for a moment before it becomes stable again.
As the assembly is complete a clear rectangular casing forms around the spine, appearing and feeling as if it were made of jelly.
Leaning back in his chair he carefully picks up the spine, holding it delicately with both hands and rising from his seat, walking over to his patient.
"So this is what three billion dollars can buy huh," he chuckles to himself, placing the spine back into his patient as if he were assembling a basic puzzle. 6
The spacial casing of the spine -the jellylike rectangular shell-perfectly slides into the hole in his patient's back. And as the pieces fit together, a blue sheen shimmers slightly as the jelly reverts into flesh and muscle, as if the back was never tampered with.
Law shakes his head, "one day I'll figure out how exactly that works," he mutters, placing his palm flat on the man's back.
SCAN
Remaining in physical contact he focuses on the man, scanning him down to a cellular level, searching for any abnormalities.
To search for such tiny abnormalities he needs to remain in contact.
If he were simply trying to rip out someone's spine, however, once his ROOM is open he simply has to SCAN them once by making physical contact, even through clothes. Locating such a normal and massive component would be easy.
Then he could walk away while focusing on them, and when enough energy is gathered, simply touch them once more and rip it out. 1
Unfortunately, the process would have to restart if the room closes, needing to restart the entire surgery also wouldn't return the energy he committed to it.
After nearly five minutes of searching, he perks up.
Finding what he was looking for Law begins focusing his energy, feeling a slight strain as he tracked down all the medication in his patient.
"Mes," he commands. Raising his hand from the man's back, beneath his palm a small sphere of white clear liquid rises up, coma-inducing medication torn out of the man.
"GAH!" the man startles awake, panicking and falling off the table.
Horizon stares at him, not expecting such a lively response. The table falls over as the man scrambles to his feet, looking around with wide eyes, not able to make sense of any of this.
"Where am I?!" he demands, speaking perfect traditional Arabic.
Horizon shakes his head and turns away, not paying the quirkless man any mind and moving to pack up his medical bag. As he begins sterilizing his equipment however a loud knock sounds from the double doors. 1
"We're coming in, 10 seconds!" a worried voice booms out, also in perfect Arabic.
Horizon pays it no mind and continues packing his things.
By the time the doors are opened and two men with automatic rifles enter, just one step ahead from a robed elder gentleman, brown skin and a thick grey beard, head wrapped and his outfit draped in so much gold that it screamed 'Middle Eastern Royalty'. 15
The man and his guards all freeze at the sight of the prince, standing on his own and staring at them.
The prince asks question after question, demanding to know what was going on.
Yet his father simply walked up and embraced him, holding his son close as both guards watch in amazement.
The reunion is interrupted when Horizon zips up his bag and takes out a notepad, writing something down quickly before turning to both men.
"This is doctor Horizon," the man says to his son. "He saved your life, please give me a moment with him, your mother and sisters are waiting for you upstairs." The man looks at his son once more and pats him on the shoulder, as if to check if this was a dream. 4
"I-what?" the prince asks, completely confused.
His father nods and pats his shoulder, gesturing to the guards, "I will join you shortly, please, go see your mother."
A minute later and only Horizon and the Sheik are standing in the courtyard, his medical bag already at his side.
Looking out at the garden the man wasn't quite sure what to say, so he simply spoke his true thoughts.
"I had my doubts about you, at least until now…" the Sheik says. 4
"You threw that much money on something you had doubts about?" he joins him in speaking Arabic, although with a heavy accent, not practiced enough to completely shake off the Japanese tones.
"Money is nothing," the man says. "When I heard he was in a car accident, that he'd never wake up again much less walk, it was the one time all my money and influence meant nothing. A dynasty that has controlled this region for hundreds of years…and we couldn't do anything."
Horizon nods, "money couldn't buy time…until me."
The man chuckles, "well said. And that is exactly why when I saw a person that sold time, I jumped at the chance."
"After the first few clients, seems everyone wants more time."
"We're only human," the man shrugs. "We may be the richest and most influential people in the world, but we all want more time. Your service will always do well." 2
"Better than I ever thought, honestly," Horizon admits.
"Time is the only thing we couldn't buy, so you can understand that we're quite eager," the man says.
"Mhm, and this is the part where you ask me to stay here?"
The man can't help but laugh at that, "so this happens often then?"
"Every time, without fail. Everyone wants a miracle in their backyard."
"And you always refuse?"
"Always, no matter the offer."
The man raises a brow at that, "I'm willing to bet that I can beat any offer you've ever seen."
"You can, but unfortunately I have a previous contract."
"Honourable in the face of great temptation, very respectable," the man strokes his beard and nods. "My family would likely be unable to enter Japan when you settle your practice there next year, so I had to make an offer now." 2
"I completely understand, but unfortunately Japan has the one thing nobody else can get me, and no amount of money can replace." 5
"Family?" 2
Horizon nods.
"I see…then I wish you all the best doc– Horizon," the man corrects himself.
"Thank you, Sheik Amir," Horizon bows slightly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've never been to Dubai before and as this is my first day, I've made reservations to quite a fine establishment for later tonight…" 9
–5 Minutes later…
Sitting in the back of an armored black SUV, Horizon leans back and scrolls through his phone.
'That's all the clients in this region, time for eastern Europe… and I'll even have time for the Grand Prix before going to Paris,' he muses. Glancing out the window to see the massive skyscrapers passing by as he arrives at his hotel. 9
Putting his phone away he exits the vehicle and walks in. The valet immediately moves to take his bag, which only had a few medical supplies within, while another leads him inside.
They instantly recognized him by his visor, as expected when you rent the top suite of their hotel for the entire week.
Checking in he takes the elevator up to his suite and dismissed the staff, telling them that he'd like to rest from his flight into the country this morning.
He ignores everything around him and simply walks to a particular window, directly across the street is another hotel, smaller and less prestigious, but it had everything he needed. Leaving his bag and everything else behind he opens up a ROOM, large enough to reach across the street and into the other hotel.
SHAMBLES
He disappears, swapping places with a napkin of all things.
He reappears in the opposite hotel, in the penthouse suite.
"Finally," he breathes a sigh of relief and removes his visor, walking around the suite to the bedroom where he changes his clothes. He packs his metal case with his Horizon gear as Law Matani comes out once more. 2
"Ok, a week in Dubai was fun but time to get the fuck out of here, lots of things to enjoy elsewhere…" he says.
Exiting the hotel as Law Matani, who had been staying here for the entire week. He enters a limo, so over the top that nobody would ever expect him to be the mysterious doctor who the Sheik believed to have only arrived that morning.
And who wouldn't check out of the hotel for another five days…
Perhaps paranoid, but he wouldn't take any chances with having these two people connected. 6
When the valet places his bags in the limo he arrives at the airport in only half an hour.
Greeted by the sight of his very own private jet. Larger than the average passenger plane as it was a double-decker, entirely refitted to be as luxurious yet functional as possible.
Painted black with gold accents, and the word 'Matani' on the side in case anyone was curious about who owned it.
Law steps out of the limo to be greeted by the flight staff at the ramp, taking a deep breath he looks around.
Limo.
Private jet.
Private hangar.
'I love being rich…' 24
END CHAPTER– 5
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Chapter 18: CHAPTER 017(Two Types Of People) 8
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
Sitting submerged up to his shoulders in his hot tub Law has a glass of whisky in one hand and a textbook in the other.
In the modest but luxurious bathroom, he has music playing quietly through the surrounding speakers built into the walls as he lazily reads.
The book in his hand is UA's 'Hero procedure and regulations,' and beside the tub was a stack of over a dozen other books that would be needed over the three-year hero course at UA.
"Finally," Law sighs as he puts down his glass and turns to the last page. After reading it and the entire index at the back he sets the book down atop the pile and sinks down to his chin in the warm water. "Bunch of boring junk…" 3
Law closes his eyes and enjoys the warm water for all of seven minutes before his music is overshadowed by a cacophony of loud chimes.
"Mmm," he grumbles, knowing that specific ringtone. He sits up and flicks some water off his hand before reaching for his phone, thankfully waterproof, and answers the video call. "Kinda late for a call don't you think?" he asks in an annoyed voice.
"Sorry I had some paperwork to deal with," Nezu says, sitting on the couch in his office with a cup of tea.
"Figured you would finally go a day without calling me since today was the big sports festival, guess I was wrong…" Law sighs.
"You're too important for me to not check in on you," Nezu says. "So were you up to anything interesting, I hope I didn't interrupt."
Law rolls his eyes, "just got done with the stack of books you sent me, you can have them back when I get back to Japan."
"Those are yours, you'll need them during your time at UA."
"No I won't, I read them once, that's all I need."
"Oh…" Nezu nods along, "I see. Well, keep them, just in case."
"Whatever."
"Did you by any chance watch the sports festival?" 3
"I caught the beginning of it in the car to my patient, but had to cut it off when I got there…also…what the hell was with the streaker?"
Nezu chuckles, "Togata's Quirk makes clothes…logistically difficult." 1
"His hero suit has to be organic then, I know your handbook says it's not allowed but you could have at least let him use the pants," Law laughs. 3
"He insisted on sticking to the rules himself, that attitude combined with his excellent work ethic is what makes him one of our best, and soon to be one of Japan's best."
"Seriously?" Law asks, more surprised than anything. "The naked blonde dude, you sure about that?"
"If you ever get to meet him you'll find out rather quickly how capable he is."
"I'll take your word for it, whatever," Law shrugs. "You promised competition so I'll take what I can get, phasing is pretty interesting at least." 2
"Permeation," Nezu corrects him. "But good guess on the name." 7
"Thanks, but is there a particular reason you called this time?"
"I just wanted to inform you that Toshinori has been feeling much better this past month, he wanted to extend his thanks once more."
"Just doing my job, is he taking it easy as I said?"
"…" Nezu gives an awkward smile.
Law straightens up and looks at the screen. "I don't like having my time wasted Nezu, why have me fix something that's just gonna break itself again?"
"He's a bit stubborn, unfortunately, he won't listen to anyone."
"Ugh, well I can't extend his life a second time so whatever, once he knows what he's doing," Law shrugs and sinks back down. "It's his life, he can end it if he wants." 4
"He fully understands the consequences of his actions," Nezu nods. "What about your other patients?"
"You know I can't discuss that with you Nezu," Law says.
"I'm not asking for specifics, just anything super miraculous that nobody else would have been able to accomplish."
"Well…" Law thinks for a moment. "A few tumors here and there, heart disease in a few people. Failing organs, growths on the brain, and I fixed some spines so people could walk." 1
"You say that like it's nothing impressive," Nezu points out.
"Oh I know how impossible this stuff is for everyone else, I'm just used to it," Law shrugs. "Didn't really understand the last one completely."
"Hmm, what do you mean?"
"Well, the man spends billions of dollars for me to fix his kids spine right, cracks and shattered bones, the guy was in a coma for a long time before me, but he's quirkless." 2
"What don't you get?" Nezu's voice was a bit concerned as to where this was going.
"Why spend so much to save some Quirkless trash, just make another kid, or fucking buy a better one with all that money," Law shakes his head. "Honestly I'll never understand that. He was from the generation before me so like 5% of them are quirkless, 1% of mine, just replace him." 25
"Hmm, I didn't realize you were that kind of person, not to this extent," Nezu had a disappointed tone in his voice.
"What kind of person?"
"Someone who discriminates…is it only about those that are quirkless?" Nezu asks bluntly.
Law pauses for a moment, then laughs, nearly dropping his phone in the tub. "You're kidding, right? You think I pay enough attention to those ants to care about where they come from or how they look or who they want to fuck? Like I care about that," he breaks out into a fit of laughter at the very idea. Him caring that much about useless people was so foreign to him. 5
"Then why do you care if he's quirkless?"
"Because, Nezu, Quirks are nature's metric of showing how useful you are. Better the Quirk the more useful you are. And quirkless people are level zero, anything they can do, someone with a Quirk out there can do it a hundred times better. You should know, your quirk is what separates you from the other mice, do you really think you're of equal value to them?" 40
Nezu stops and takes a moment to think of his response. "I can understand how someone born as powerful as you may think like that, but I believe all people are capable of great things, Quirk or not. Hopefully I can show you that during your time with me."
"Trying to make me a hero is one thing, trying to convince me that some quirkless filth could ever be anything more than worthless is an impossible dream. Quirks give people inherent value, the fact that you've never had a quirkless hero in your school shows that on some level even you believe that. Anything they can do we can do better." 42
"Hmm," Nezu doesn't speak, realizing that this conversation would get absolutely nowhere.
'Law is from a school of thought similar to 'might makes right,' he thinks as Law takes another sip of his drink. 'A school of thought where usefulness and competence determine value. Not even morality or ethics are considered in his actions, only the most effective way of completing the task, and he's willing to step down if someone is proven to be more competent at a task than him… convincing him with words is impossible,' Nezu sighs in temporary defeat. 30
"Well, I'm glad you don't discriminate by race, appearance, or gender, that would be much more problematic," Nezu says. "I atleast know the requirements to prove you wrong, you will see that there are all different types of people in this world, and every one has a purpose, even if they aren't born at the top like you." 17
Law grumbles, "I wasn't born at the top, I trained my ass off for 11 years to get here, before I even had my Quirk." 6
"Oh, you never mentioned that before." 1
"Because it's not really any of your business, but don't belittle my hard work by saying it's all my Quirk. I was trained to be perfect, that's why I'm better, and my Quirk manifested based on that." 32
"What?!" Nezu didn't miss that little bit of information that Law accidentally let slip.
"Nothing," Law quickly says. "Just know that there are only two types of people in this world–"
"People who are useful, and people who aren't," Nezu says.
"Nope," Law shakes his head and smiles before looking directly at the camera. "People who are perfect, and people who aren't me…" 73
Nezu is left speechless by that statement, and the moment he opens his mouth to speak. 1
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Law's head shifts over to look at the door.
"Sir, the captain says we're twenty minutes from Milan, I need to secure the tub before we land," the flight attendant says in a sweet voice. 2
"Sorry Nezu, gotta go…"
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 19: First Blood 4
So I just woke up and saw this story hit 1K power stones for the first time, figured you all deserve something for that, no this won't be a weekly challenge. 2
I just had a few minutes before my usual upload time and since I've already edited all the August chapters I decided to put this together, sorry if it's a bit terrible, it was spontaneous and rushed /
Think of it as a smaller and terrible version of the side stories on my pa.treon. Enjoy!
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
Sitting on the balcony of their rented beach house Kiku and Corazon are having breakfast, while the currently nine-year-old Law is more occupied staring at the neighbors. 2
"Hey finish your breakfast first," Kiku says, causing him to return his focus to the table, rolling her eyes at his eagerness.
Perched only a dozen meters from the sandy shore in this remote part of Japan the beach house they rented was not very modest, but certainly served multiple purposes.
A perfect weekend at the beach for a little surfing trip, relaxing between Kiku's big solo jobs, and Law's first targets were their neighbors. It was perfect.
"So you decided how you're gonna take her out yet?" Corazon asks, taking a sip of his orange juice after finishing his breakfast.
"Yeah," Law says to his dad after swallowing a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "I'm gonna just find a spot up on a nearby hill and use mom's rifle," he explains casually.
Kiku and Corazon look at each other for a moment, then both break out in laughter.
"What's wrong? That's how we always do things," Law says.
"Nothing son," Kiku says. "That's how I always do things, my Quirk makes me a living arsenal, hence the name, but you're a walking talking act of god, look around you, there's certainly something here you can use, after all, the best hits and the ones that nobody knows is a hit," she nods toward the ocean. 1
It takes a second and Law immediately smacks his forehead, hard enough to leave a red mark. "I didn't think of that!"
Corazon laughs, "because you look up to your mom too much, take the lessons she taught you and understand why they work, then apply them in your own way, that's what you've always done in the operating room after all, and you're already ahead of me…of course it helps that your brain is a cheat sheet," his dad jokingly adds.
"Jealous?" Law asks cheekily. 2
"Literally everyone is," Corazon rolls his eyes. "But the point is you need to get your own operating style."
"Exactly," Kiku adds. "You can take everything we teach you to a completely different level, just gotta stop being us and start being you, and it'll always be enough." 1
"Yeah, you're right," Law turns in his seat, seeing the ocean nearby, and the neighbors. A lovely Japanese couple with a picture-perfect family. But unfortunately, someone wanted to ruin it.
Luckily it wasn't his place to judge, they were just names on a list after all, the first names on his list, he narrows his eyes at the woman as she plays with her kids on the beach.
"I've got it," he says. "They always go in the water after lunch, it'll be easy."
"We'll get packed up before then…" Kiku says, casually drinking her tea as their little vacation comes to an end.
Hours of beach fun later they're all ready to head back to Tokyo, with a long drive ahead of them.
Sitting in the back of the jeep they rented for this trip Law is all packed and ready to go, his parents loading the last of their bags in the trunk and tieing the surfboards to the roof.
He has his phone in his hands, his entire body tilting side to side as he plays a new racing game he installed.
"Mmm," he hums along to the engine sounds coming from his phone as both his parents get in the car, with his mom in the driver's seat.
"She in yet?" his mom asks.
"Almost," Law says, not taking his eyes off the screen. His Quirk allows him to keep tabs on his target easily and with no indication that he's doing anything.
And a few minutes later, "ok, she's going in….shambles," he says.
–At the shore…
While the Matanis were already at the road ready to leave Yua and her family were playing in the sand. The young couple, only thirty years old, and both their daughters, six and five years old respectively.
She wears a simple blue bikini and sits in the sand with them, watching her husband help them make yet another sandcastle.
Taking a look at the sparkling water in the mid-day sun she sighs and stands up, "I'm going in, anyone coming with me?"
"Girls?" the man asks his daughter, earning headshakes from both of them. "Looks like we're playing in the sand today, don't go too far."
"I know," she says, walking toward the ocean.
He makes sure to keep an eye on the water, unknowingly watching his wife walk in for the very last time.
Walking into waist-high water Yua sinks down until up to her neck was submerged, feeling the gentle push and pull of the ocean relaxing her body, eyes locked on the shore toward her family.
She sees her husband and daughters wave, and she happily waves back, only twenty meters away from them.
"Gah!" she takes a deep breath, and submerges her body entirely, disappearing beneath the surface to search for some sea shells. Looking down she sees a few in the fine sand, and the moment she reaches out to grab them.
SHAMBLES!
Her view suddenly shifts from fine sand near the shore, illuminated by the sunlight through only a meter of water.
To dark and cold water, the shells are gone in exchange for massive rocks and kelp.
"Ah!" she panics and screams at the sudden change, releasing the remaining air she had.
Immediately looking up she sees the sun above, ten meters above her. Her eyes widen in horror as she puts all her energy into rushing to the surface.
'Nononononononoono!' she screams over and over in her mind, desperate to get some air, to get back to her family. 1
As her fingers just barely breach the surface, she feels air against her fingertips, freedom, life…
SHAMBLES!
"Ngh!" she suppresses her scream, suddenly feeling rocks against her back as she finds herself on the ocean floor again, restarting her journey. 7
Desperately rushing back upward she doesn't even notice the small rock sinking down, from the spot she had recently been in.
'NO! Please!' she feels her throat burn as her body instinctively tries to breathe. 10
"argh!" water floods her lungs, searing pain like swallowing red hot coals. She keeps fighting, working on pure adrenaline and primal instinct, and for the second time, she reaches the surface.
SHAMBLES!
"ngh…!" appearing on the ocean floor again she looks up, one last time. The light fades away as her body goes numb and cold. Her eyes stayed open, as if still desperately begging to live, to get one last breath, to see her family one last time.
And she finally stops fighting, slowly floating with the current, as her family happily makes sand castles only a hundred meters away… 13
A gruesome and confusing death, but everyone who investigated would come to the same conclusion, a freak accident, swept away by the current and pulled under the water…no fault to anyone, just nature at work, a true tragedy…
–The Matanis…
Looking up from his phone Law smiles, "it's done, I did it!"
"Never doubted you, clean efficient work, just like we taught you," his mom cheers him on, already driving away from the house.
"Mhm, and you know, the first job is kind of a big deal," his dad turns around in the front seat to give Law a proud smile. "You know what that means?"
"Katsudon!" they all yell at once, happy smiles all around. 10
His dad reaches back and ruffles his hair, much to Law's annoyance, "and since we expected this perfect success, I even got us some special Wagyu steaks for burgers tomorrow." 2
"Mmm," Law's mouth starts to water at the thought, "I love you guys…"
Kiku can't help but laugh, "don't worry, we'll always be here for you, no matter what, because we love you too…" 4
Yet another happy family adventure for the Matanis, and one of the many jobs that would never be traced back to any of them.
On the long drive back through rural forests, Law takes out his phone and plays on it until the battery dies, then takes a small nap, enjoying what he would see as an ideal childhood, with his perfect parents.
The only people in the world who mattered to him, the only other people…who were truly perfect… 26
END CHAPTER–
Nezu: You'll be a great hero! 6
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Chapter 20: CHAPTER 018(August 2114) 7
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
The sun slowly begins to descend beyond the horizon, orange hues caught in the sparking ocean water. The eerily calm water barely ripples about in the bay. At the base of a small mountain only surrounded by trees and a single dirt road leading to the shore.
Standing on a surfboard in the calm evening water, Law feels the gently shifting water rocking him side to side.
Wearing only a pair of blue shorts his messy hair sticks to his head as he focuses.
ROOM
He creates the largest ROOM he can, extending a thousand meters in every direction.
SCAN
He's assaulted by an influx of information in a flash. Everything from the beach and forests a hundred meters behind him to all the plants and animals further inland, as well as all the fish for a thousand meters in front of him.
This secluded beach is the perfect place for him to train between clients on this island.
Eyes closed he has both hands on the hilt of his new weapon. A katana, not his preferred blade but one that would send the message he wanted to convey to the world.
The weapon was a carbon fiber and tungsten mixture, specially made by Power Loader. The metal itself was white, even the blade. The hilt and scabbard were the exact same, both with small accents of blue, and his smiley face logo with its checkered teeth along both this hilt and scabbard. The guard was small and also white with a blue edge. 12
AMPUTATE
He slashes downward.
The ocean splits before him, a thin devision of only an inch, not enough to disturb the water much before it merges back.
His board gently rocks, slightly shaking his concentration. The larger the ROOM the more energy it would take to both open and maintain, and the more concentration it requires to keep it active.
Law wipes a bead of sweat from his face, during all his traveling he took any chance he could get to find a proper training spot.
'Training with mom was one thing, that was all about assassinations, but places like these are the best–'
AMPUTATE!
Another thin division in the water before it instantly reforms.
'Heroes are always fighting in public–'
AMPUTATE!
Another division, this time the board rocks and his concentration falters. His eyes snap open before closing shut again. In that split second his ROOM shrinks hundreds of meters.
He takes a deep breath and pushes himself, opening it fully once more.
AMPUTATE! 1
Another slash before the water merges with itself. A straight line of dirt begins rising to the surface. The result of dozens of slashes carving out a thousand meters through the ocean floor and bedrock, releasing stone and dirt into the water.
'Heroes fight in public, so I can be loud. And I'll need to be able to handle anything, everything–'
AMPUTATE!
He practices for another hour until…
"Gah!" Law drops to one knee as his ROOM shrinks to only a few meters. "Alright, that's enough for today, shambles."
For a brief instant, his ROOM forcibly expands to reach the shore before he disappears, substituted with a clump of sand.
He drops his surfboard on the sand and sheathes his blade. He moved to sit in the sand and enjoy a refreshing bottle of water. 1
Leaning against his cooler he takes a minute to catch his breath before opening another ROOM, his phone appears in his hand, warping from his jeep parked only a dozen meters away on the dirt road leading to this beach.
Opening his phone he begins scrolling through his notifications.
"Hmm, construction began, nice," he muses. His new home was finally under construction. "Now all I need is a place in Musutafu to park so people don't see Horizon driving the same cars as Law Matani, hopefully I get somewhere close to UA…" he continues scrolling.
As he's about to start searching for places in Musutafu to buy his phone begins ringing.
"Did you forget you already checked in on me today?" he asks.
"This isn't about that," Nezu says. "I may need you to return to Japan before next year, at least for a few days to visit."
Law stiffens at that, "what happened?"
"Nothing if I can help it," Nezu says. "Some powerful people are lobbying for your parents' execution. People with a lot of sway from abroad and within Japan."
"We expected that," Law says. "They've got a lot of enemies, but you said you could keep them alive, can you?"
"Of course!" Nezu insists. "I may simply need to take drastic measures to keep them hidden, if it comes to that then nobody will be able to get in touch with them for a long time, so I'll try to arrange for you to speak to them." 2
"I thought you said that's impossible."
"I will make it happen, I promise," Nezu says. "I'll likely have to pull a lot of strings and use much of the favors I have, but I'll make it happen, don't worry." 1
Law leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and holds his head, "right, not like I've got much of a choice, just keep me in the loop on this please." 1
"Of course, I've already got some people taking care of things. You just keep doing what you're doing, which, by the looks of it, you went surfing right after landing?" Nezu asks.
"You found the Horizon social media account?" Law chuckles.
"I'm surprised you even made one."
"It's all about brand image, when I really go public during the sports festival I need something to feed the media, it's hard to cheer for a ghost after all."
"I see…"
"Just curious, how strict is UA's no scouting policy?" Law asks.
"Extremely, no exception has been made, ever…aside from you." 3
"Could you handle the backlash if that got out?" Law asks, a calculating look on his face.
"Hmm, if the person that was revealed proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that not scouting them would have been a terrible decision, otherwise it could look bad," he explains.
"Ahh, then it's a good thing I'm perfect huh." 8
"Just think very carefully before you make such a decision, I can't stop you from announcing that part of our contract, but I also have an image to uphold."
"Don't worry I'll keep it pristine, but right now I need to go get food and prepare for surgery in the morning, then I'm off to Italy."
"Italy? Again?"
"Yeah," Law groans. "Just when I thought I did everything cool there–"
"Including your maid." 19
Law shrugs, "when in Rome?" 4
"You were in Milan, and I recall you did the same thing in Paris."
"French maid, c'mon who hasn't thought about that," he scoffs.
"Do you ever tell any one of these women that you're fifteen?" 3
"Mmm," Law thinks about it for a moment. "Ya know, between me being six-two, muscular, good looking, and rich, it never comes up." 6
Nezu sighs, "thankfully Horizon has nothing to do with the extravagant playboy Law Matani, you've really gotten the hang of this dual identity life." 4
"Honestly, warping makes it a lot easier. They stay in separate hotels within my range so they never even cross paths or go to the same places, pretty easy when you can pull that off." 3
"I assumed as much," Nezu says. "And how are you enjoying the new sword? Training in Hawaii with it must be fun."
"It's perfect, I just need a bit more time to get used to the curve of the blade, aiming is a bit odd," Law says.
"Ahh, that other ability you refuse to explain."
"That's the one," he chuckles.
"You know you can't keep them all hidden forever, right?"
"Obviously," Law says. "But…I just feel more comfortable keeping them to myself, it's how I was trained and raised. Never reveal your hand until everyone else is dead. But when I'm in UA I can start to open up more, at that point you'll have a real stake in the game, and it'll really get people itching to recruit me after the sports festival."
"That…is very concerning. And I'm glad you're already planning for your bid debut." 1
"Yeah well… let's just say if I did reveal my hand when I clashed with Hawks things would have gone very differently, far from the only mistake I made that day…"
An awkward pause settles between both of them before Nezu breaks the silence, "so, Rome again?"
"Right," Law shakes his head, focusing back on the conversation. "Some sinner needs me to undo a divine punishment, and I'm charging him a lot more and making it somewhat public as the cost, you'll see it on Horizon's profile page, when it goes fully public," Law gives a hearty laugh at that.
"Sinner…is it who I think it is?" Nezu asks, a tinge of worry in his voice. 6
"You've got a dozen supercomputers for a brain, so I'm betting it is."
"My god," Nezu mutters.
"That's exactly what he'll be saying, I'll be his new god…" 9
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 21: CHAPTER 019(Blasphemy) 4
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CHAPTER START– 3
"Wow," Horizon mutters in genuine awe, staring up at the twenty-meter-high ceilings. Marble floor, massive tiles lined with gold and platinum that lead up the wall and to the ceilings.
A massive mural of angels bringing divine light down from the heavens as if they were here to save him.
He walks carefully behind the Pope's valet, taking in every possible detail, within the inner halls of the Pope's personal atrium where he holds worship.
"This sight never gets old," the valet says, an older gentleman with greying hair on his head. "Always so breathtaking."
"Wealth without bound," Horizon says, wearing a brand new three-piece suit. White with a blue undershirt and black vest, the jacket draped along his shoulders without his arms being in the sleeves. Attached to his shoulder themselves so they don't fall. 5
The sound of his steps faintly travels down the halls as he carries his medical bag at his side.
"So this is what 2500 years of willing and unwilling collection from the masses will get you. I. Am. Impressed," he nods along. 1
The valet casts an insulted glance back at Horizon, "this is what the faith of true believers gets you, doctor." 1
"Right, the Vatican is filled with gold because of faith, sure…" Horizon shakes his head and silently follows behind the man. 13
After a long and silent walk, they finally arrive at the sacred inner chamber of the pope.
Opening the doors the Valet leads him into the massive chambers, lined with purple and gold silk. Each fixture appeared as if it would cost a small fortune, because it certainly would.
The valet leads him to the bedside, and Pope Valentine greets him with a strained smile. His once vibrant complexion was now ashy and worn out. Skin hanging off his frame clearly showing all the weight he lost. 3
"Pope Valentine," Law greets the man in perfect Italian, his father's native language. 3
The pope looked somewhat surprised at this, "doctor Horizon," he nods weakly. "Thank you for coming." 2
Horizon turns to the valet, "you can go now everything from here is strictly between my patient and myself."
The valet looks from Horizon to the pope, and receives a nod. "I'll be outside sir," he nods and exits the room.
As the door shuts behind him Law immediately opens a ROOM, a hundred meters in every direction around him he scans for cameras and recorders of any kind, finding none within the private chambers, but a group of guards moving to take positions outside.
"Wow, lots of guards, not surprising," Horizon says as he moves to get a chair, placing it at pope Valentine's bedside. "So, you read the special contract?" he asks casually.
"You, are not what I expected," Valentine says. "I always heard you were so, strict."
"Normally, yeah," Horizon shrugs, "but I find this funny."
"You think my state, funny?" Valentine asks, not sure what he should be feeling, deciding to settle on confusion.
"No, god no…oh, sorry," he says to the POPE. "But I do think it's a bit ironic, you spend your life worshiping god and he puts a tumor in on your brainstem. And suddenly you, the man touted to have the most powerful healing Quirk of all time, is helpless, and dying." 2
"I fail to see how my state is amusing to you," the pope says calmly. 2
"Right, well, the custom contract I made for you says you get charged an absurd amount, which you've already paid -thank you for that by the way-and I get to take a picture with you when the operation is done and tell the world I saved your life. And you never get to tell anyone or thing what happened in here, right?" 1
"Right," the Pope nods.
"So, pope Valentine, what did you do for that miserable cunt in the sky to put a tumor in your skull?" Horizon asks. "I mean, normally he reserves his petty anger for the weak and helpless, he loves watching kids die, but you, his most devoted slave, why?" 18
Valentine takes a deep breath as it all begins to fit together, "I see, you're a non-believer."
"Eh," Horizon shrugs. "Even if I did believe, anyone can tell your church is a business, and besides, you should be thanking that asshole in the sky I don't believe in him, if I did, I would have let him have his way and just leave you to die." 13
Pope Valentine's face twitches, rage clashing with serenity. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, focusing his thoughts, "what exactly is your point doctor, I do hope you intend to keep your end of the bargain up."
Horizon chuckles, "oh don't worry I'll still save you, I never break my word. I just wanted you to know, you worship a vengeful petty bitch in the sky that turned around and put a tumor in your skull, and I'm the only one that can save you. I should be the one you convince billions of people to pray to so you can rob them. I…am the closest, you will ever get, to meet a god. I am your only hope of salvation, me, Horizon… I'm the only god you have…" his cold slightly mechanical voice says, sending a shiver down the pope's spine. 40
"Y-you…" the man mutters in disbelief and horror. "You're a monster," he says in a quiet voice, all the authority he'd grown used to speaking with now gone.
"No," Horizon stands up and opens his medical bag. "I'm a god, but of course you'd think I'm a monster, you've never been this close to one before…" 32
–20 Minutes Later…
"Hngh," pope Valentine opens his eyes, feeling sleepy. Not weary and tired like his illness had caused, but simply sleepy. "What?"
"Finally awake huh," Horizon says, already back in his chair beside the pope. 6
"How long was I asleep?" the pope asks, not even realizing that he'd instinctively moved to sit up against his backboard.
"Twenty minutes," Horizon shrugs.
"Twenty minutes? But,the cancer?"
"Gone," he points to the bedside table, the pope turns and freezes at what he sees, a small grape-sized ball of flesh in a cup. "Your god's gift to you, perfectly preserved," he shakes his head. 2
The pope stares at the tumor for a few minutes in complete silence, and as he does his body slightly glows as it bulks up to his regular body mass, no longer looking shriveled up. Now much more rotund. The power of the greatest healing Quirk ever, although the growls coming from pope Valentine's stomach were another story.
"Well, that didn't take long," Horizon chuckles. "Time for our picture, don't worry my account is private until I'm ready to go public."
The pope recedes into his mind as the next events happen. Lost in thought as Horizon guides him to stand for a few pictures, completely zoning out and not listening to the doctor.
"What was that?" the pope finally asks, snapping out of his daze.
"I said my job here is done, contract complete, I'm leaving."
"And if a new tumor emerges?" Valentine asks.
Horizon shrugs, "the contract only covers one, I had to charge you more than anyone else for…moral reasons. The risk of undoing your god's work after all," he chuckles. 6
The pope sighs, already knowing it was no use engaging in this nonsense. "I understand, but may I ask one question?"
"Of course," Horizon says.
"Why did you never ask if I believe?"
"That's actually quite simple," he chuckles. "Why would I ever give a fuck about what you think, I just find this whole situation hilarious." 2
"Really?"
"Yeah, and, I already know there is a god… I'm right here," he shrugs. 10
The pope is once again shocked by the arrogance of one man, "you wish to become a god, is that your goal?"
"No, that is what I am… but what I will become, is a hero." 3
"Hero…wait a moment, you're a child?" 2
Horizon raises a finger to his visor in a shushing motion, "that's a surprise for when I go public, let's keep that between the three of us," he points upward, at heaven.
The pope sighs and pats his shoulder, "son, I shall pray for you, for you to become a good person, and a hero."
Horizon brushes his hand aside, "I'm perfect, and your prayers are useless, if they could work…you wouldn't have needed me, save them for the sheep that follow you," he turns on his heel and begins walking away. 21
As Horizon is walking away the pope only shakes his head and frowns, horizon waves back. "The next miracle I sell you costs double Valentine! And maybe consider putting a mural of me on one of these walls, it'd look better…" he says before exiting the room. 3
As he leaves the pope makes the sign of the cross and says a not-so-short prayer, a futile effort to humble the ego of a walking miracle… 10
END CHAPTER–
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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If it wasn't clear before…Horizon is not nice…
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Chapter 22: CHAPTER 020(Merry Christmas) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
–Japan, The Matani Estate…
CLANG!
The metal bar crashes down onto its resting place above the weight bench. 440 pounds -200kg-of metal plates once again coming to a rest. 10
Law sits up from his spot on the bench and wipes the sweat from his face. Taking a deep breath he focuses for a moment then exhales, feeling his heart steady itself.
In the past nine months since meeting Nezu, his life has changed so much, and now the dreaded day has come. He'd finally get to speak to them…
He stands up and looks around his home gym, more like a mini commercial gym, it even had a boxing ring. A wall of tinted glass windows shows the heavy snow falling outside, the gentle slope of his backyard hill covered in snow for a hundred meters before it cascades into the boardwalk separating his lawn from his private beach.
Now risen to his full height the differences in him now and nine months ago are glaringly obvious.
Now standing at 192cm -6ft3.5-and more muscular. His much leaner physique was now gone in exchange for more muscle. Still perfectly defined and almost statuesque. Coming in at 190 pounds -86kg-with a head of messy black hair and his cold white-blue eyes. 32
His face was shaven completely clean, but peeking out from his loose top, the most obvious standouts were his tattoos. 5
As he turns off his music and cleans the sweat from the equipment he takes off his shirt to cool off, exposing his tattoos. 1
A massive heart on his chest, covering much of his chest with the curved outline of a heart, the base of it as well as the two arches at the very top have tendrils extending out from them, three on each side. At the top they extend as if trying to go over his shoulder and onto his back, stopping in the middle of his shoulder. 17
When the high arcs of each side of the heart meet they touch at the center of his chest connection to a checkered-teeth smiley face, Horizon's logo. 6
His shoulders have similar curvy hearts, concentric with a smaller identical heart within, his father's symbol. 1
Lower on his forearms is a large gear, his mother's symbol, and within is a solid black circle with spokes coming out of it. Bits of a broken circle are attached to each of the six spokes. 6
Lower down is the tattoo at the back of his hand, a solid black circle with only four of the spokes protruding out, still holding bits of a broken circle on them. 3
And finally the only non-symmetrical tattoo on his body, his knuckle tattoos. 2
On his right hand, they spell 'GIVE', while on the left hand is 'TAKE', with only the thumb having no letters. Positioned in such a way that to read them he'd either have to hold his hands up like a surgeon having a nurse put on gloves for him, or more likely, he'd be giving you the middle finger. 15
Perfect for the man who gives and takes both life and time from people.
"Shambles," Law disappears from the gym and appears in his bedroom. Moving from the second to the third floor of his house, the floor which contains a few things, most notable his massive bedroom. With the connected private lounge, hot tub, bathroom, and office.
After a warm shower he shuts off the water and runs a hand through his hair, not bothering to even use a towel he simply mutters "shambles," and appears in his large walk-in closet. 1
The water on his body remained in the shower, allowing him to instantly dry off. With enough familiarity with an object, he could bring it to him without needing a substitution to make locking onto it or space easier. With enough familiarity with a location, he could warp around as he pleases. And he'd spend some time getting used to his new home. 10
Getting dressed he pulled on a simple short-sleeved black t-shirt, the same tattoo from his chest was printed on the front of the shirt in yellow. A pair of long black pants, some simple dress shoes, and a long blue high collared coat. Leaving it open to show off the t-shirt, the coat also sports a print of his tattoo. The hearts on his shoulders are in yellow at the same spots. 6
Everything Law Matani wears has his tattoos on it somewhere, and everything Horizon wears has Horizon's logo printed on it. All done personally with the clothing press in his home. 5
"Because branding is everything," Law mutters as he looks in the mirror. Putting two simple gold earrings in each ear, both sharing the earlobe, small enough to go almost unnoticed but enough to get someone's attention if he wanted to. 4
SHAMBLES
He appears in his bedroom, seeing his body glove, sword, and visor, laid out on the bed. Freshly cleaned, he sighs and moves to get his phone, keys, a simple black and gold watch, and his wallet.
After making a quick stop in the kitchen…
SHAMBLES
He appears in the only basement floor of this three-story house, his garage. Twenty-five cars, but he only ever really planned to use a few. 9
Walking a few steps he arrives at a jet-black two-door, four-seat, sports car, the same design from his chest on both its doors. A custom Pagani, made with the best 2114 tech a civilian can get. 9
"Money well spent," he chuckles, sitting in the driver's seat and starting the engine. The entire garage is drowned in a cacophony of noise for almost an entire second before it settles into a low grumble, still slightly echoing off the walls.
Far too much power to be street legal in any country, but nothing a healthy donation to the police pension fund didn't solve. 1
ROOM
Securing his protein shake he expands his room to 1500 meters and speeds up the ramp. 1
He begins racing down his hundred-meter driveway to the first barrier. A tall black metal fence formed a circle around his home, almost two hundred meters in radius.
Already pushing nearly two hundred miles per hour -320kmph-by the time he's a few feet from the still closed gate he smirks.
SHAMBLES
His car swaps places with a few pieces of snow on the other side of the gate and he continues accelerating.
Out of the first barrier, he was suddenly driving down a road surrounded by forests. Large mountains in the distance just barely peaking over the trees.
He slows down as the roads begin to wind, settling into a cruising speed as he takes out his phone.
He idly scrolled through some options to order his breakfast. 3
A few moments later and he arrives at the second barrier, a ten-meter tall metal barrier, and blocking the road is a solid black gate which also had his logo in yellow metal at the center of it. 4
The Matani Estate began here, then two kilometers in is the main house. And all of this is only twenty minutes from Musutafu.
Following the only mountain road leading to his estate, empty as usual, he enters the city and switches his car into quiet mode to avoid waking up everyone too early. 3
Before long he pulls up to a pizza shop, he can't imagine they're happy to be working on Christmas, but he also wanted pizza for breakfast.
Shutting off his car he gets out and walks into the store, noticing that it was completely empty, as expected. Approaching the register the man behind the counter gulps nervously. Appearing not much older than Law, no older than twenty.
His eyes flicker up at Law, almost having to lean back to look at him properly, then they move over to the two small golden earrings in each ear, and finally down to Law's hands, knuckle tattoos, not good news in his line of work.
The man sighs, "seriously? It's Christmas…"
Law sighs even louder, "order for Matani? That's me," he says flatly.
"Oh," the man looks away, "sorry I just–"
"It's fine, happens a lot, but maybe next time you think someone is here to hurt you at least prepare to defend yourself instead of waiting," he shakes his head in disappointment.
"Right, thanks," the man moves to place three medium pizzas on the counter. "That'll be twenty-five dollars." 9
"Perfect," he takes out his wallet and drops a stack of hundreds on the counter, "Merry Christmas," he takes the boxes and leaves before the man can even process what just happened. 5
Only driving a few blocks back the way he came Law pulls into an underground parking area, above it is a modest five-story building, bland and unassuming. The entire place completely empty as he bought the entire building, converting the office space into a secondary living space for him, or more accurately, for Horizon, if ever needed. 2
Taking the elevator he enters the top floor suite, carrying a protein shake and his breakfast as he enters the living room. Placing everything down on the coffee table he sits back and enjoys the view.
On the other side of his wall of glass was still heavy snow falling from the sky. But only a few streets away was the foot of the road leading up to UA, the surrounding forest on the entire hill dusted white with snow. And he gets an unobstructed view of the entire thing from his fifth-floor vantage point.
Taking off his coat and draping it on the back of the couch he takes a gulp of his protein shake before leaning forward. He opens one of the boxes, an extra cheesy Italian pizza greets him, steaming hot. 1
"Mmm," Law grabs a slice with a napkin and takes out his phone. "I'm here," he says into the phone.
"I'm just finishing up some work…but you do know we still have until one PM yes?" Nezu asks.
"I rather not miss this," Law grumbles. "Just call when you're done and I'll bring you here."
"I don't like warping."
"You'll get over it…"
–4 Hours Later…
Law is still sitting in his same spot, one less pizza -now just an empty box-and his protein shake already replaced with a second one. 14
He watches a fantasy movie on TV until his phone rings. Before it rings a second time he answers, "ready?"
"Yeah I just got done here," Nezu says.
ROOM
Law extends his room all the way up the hill to UA's main building. Five thousand meters up to Nezu's office. 3
SCAN
Focusing on UA he doesn't sense anyone but Nezu on campus. Opening his bottle he flicks a drop of water over to one of the single seats… 1
SHAMBLES
Nezu and the water droplet swap places before it hits the couch.
"Still annoying," Nezu says. Holding a laptop in his arms.
"That's half the fun," Law says between quiet deep breaths, taking a sip of his shake as he closes his ROOM, the strain of maintaining such a massive ROOM eating away at his stamina.
"So your Quirk does have a limit after all," Nezu says curiously. "Guess you aren't as invincible as you claim." 7
"Tch, I'm actively trying to push my limits, but trust me, in a head-to-head fight, I won't lose, not even against All Might." 7
"Ohhhh," Nezu says dramatically. "Quite a bold statement, but I doubt warping and healing are enough to hurt the symbol of peace, perhaps one of the tricks you refuse to tell me about?" 3
"You'll have to wait and see," Law shrugs.
A few minutes later while Nezu is eating a slice of 5-cheese pizza, Law asks a curious question.
"Do you always spend Christmas alone at UA, or is that just because of this?"
"My work keeps me busy," Nezu says between bites.
"So this is the usual huh."
"Mhm, how do you normally spend it?" Nezu asks.
"Well," Law thinks about it for a moment, deciding exactly how much to share. "Normally we have this little tradition, no matter where any of us are or what we're doing, birthdays, christmans, and new years, we all get together and have Katsudon."
"Katsudon?" 1
"And a glass of whisky," Law shrugs.
"So that's where your bad habit came from."
"Not a bad habit if alcohol doesn't work on you."
"Fair point, that sounds like a wonderful tradition, but one question–"
"Why katsudon?"
"Mhm."
"It's what they had on their first date."
Nezu sighs and shakes his head, "do you know why we never expected you to be with Arsenal that day?"
"Hmm, why?"
"Because, every criminal psychologist we passed her file to came to one conclusion. A bloodthirsty psychopath incapable of caring, of feeling sympathy, of love…" Nezu freezes for a moment as he sees Law glaring daggers at him, "BUT, we were wrong." Law's gaze softens.
"She does care, and love, for you, and your father. Maybe nothing even a step beyond that, but the fact that she cares shows we were wrong."
Law nods, "I know how the world, and especially places like America and Japan view villains, although Japan isn't as brutal as America is on theirs, but I'm not gonna make any excuses. People make choices and if you can't defend your choice or accept responsibility for it, then you shouldn't have made it. We made ours, and now we're paying for it, that's all it is." 7
"But you never really got a choice," Nezu says. "You're still only fifteen, as accomplished and mature as you are, you never really had a choice."
Law scoffs, "tell that to Chrome, or Mind-Binder, or Shifter. I could have just stayed in the clinic with dad but I chose to be an adventurer like my mom too, I made that choice, and I led us here, to ruin…"
"Adventurer?"
"Not hero or villain, we just do whatever we want, hurting and saving people isn't even considered in our lives, the most pure way to live," he says with a bit of reverence for the idea. "Like the ocean." 4
"The ocean?" Nezu was even more confused now.
"Taking and giving life without bias or personal attachment, too powerful for anyone to really stop it from doing whatever its wants. It's perfection." 7
"Why the ocean, of all the things that meet that example, why that?" Nezu asks, still wanting to learn more.
"It's where my mom began. Nearly drowned, got pulled into a current when she was a little girl, she managed to get onto a rock to survive, barely, but it taught her."
"Taught her what?"
"That the weak don't get to decide anything, not even how they die," Law looks toward Nezu and smiles, "but the strong, we can do whatever we want…." 12
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Nezu checks his phone before opening his laptop and placing it on the coffee table.
"Tartarus is starting the video feed in a few minutes, get ready."
"Yeah, I'll be ready…time to say hi to my parents…"
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 23: CHAPTER 021(Toxic Matanis) 5
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
Law leans back into the couch with his arms spread across the backrest as he nervously taps his foot. Feeling his heartbeat in his ears, staring at the black screen on the laptop as it connects to Tartarus.
He glances to the left to see Nezu sitting quietly waiting for the connection to be established.
"I can't believe this is happening," Law mutters quietly. "I expected that the next time I see them would be when I get them out…"
Nezu nods, "I know that's what you expected, but with more and more international pressure demanding their executions we have to move them into isolated confinement for a while, at least until the next big story overshadows them… this is the only chance you'll have until you get them out."
Law runs a hand through his hair, "thanks."
"It's the very least I could do, although getting a connection through Tartarus was difficult, even I didn't have enough leverage for it to happen alone, thankfully All Might is a UA alumnus," Nezu says.
"All Might? Did you–"
"No," Nezu waves off his concern. "He trusts me enough to allow me to use his name without asking questions. And I sent Naomasa ahead to inform them not to say any names on the call, the camera in the laptop also isn't working, you'll be able to see them but they can't see you."
"How much did he tell them?"
"Only that they'll get to speak to you without revealing your identity or connection, what you decide to speak about will only be known to yourselves and me, even the Tartarus guards won't be able to hear you…"
"Right," Law sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes to focus his mind. "Just a few minutes to unpack all the things that happened…no big deal," he says bitterly.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Before he can even focus the screen goes live, split down the middle, the left showing his mother and the right his father.
His heart drops at the sight, a sickening feeling permeates his body as he stares at the screen for a few moments.
To the left is his mother, strapped and chained to a metal cross with her limbs spread out, stuck upright with her body wrapped in white durable metal mesh fabric, and tubes flowing into the floor from in her wrapping, likely for waste. All to avoid her using her Quirk. Her long black hair seems to blend and merge perfectly with the sleek grey metal cross holding her. Taking a closer look he sees the division between flesh and metal is non-existent, it was as if the cross was attached to her very skin. 7
As he feels his rage bubbling up he looks at his father, the man was in a much different cell. While his mother was bound to a cross in her empty cell, his father had much more relaxed accommodations.
The man sits on a metal chair, a metal table in one corner of his cell while a small single bed was neatly made in the other, wearing a white jumpsuit. What Law noticed however was a metal cord connecting to his left wrist, it didn't take a genius to assume that it was also fused to him like Kiku's cross.
'They basically merged them with Tartarus, since I can't warp only part of an object I can't just grab them out of their cell unless I can move the whole prison…and they probably have implants that explode if I do move them,' he scowls at the screen. 11
Taking in the forlorn look of both his parents Law speaks up, "hi mom, dad…"
They both suddenly burst with excitement at his voice, "Son!" they yell in unison, both equally surprised to hear each other's voice, the entire family on this three-way call.
"Have you been ok?" His father asks.
"I should be asking you two that," Law frowns. "I'm sorry things went like this. I–"
"It's not your fault," his mother cuts him off sharply. "We trained you to do exactly what you did, and you performed perfectly." 2
"But–"
"She's right son," his dad cuts in. "You can't blame yourself for this, you did everything right, but sometimes that doesn't mean you win, that's just life. We're just glad you're not in here with us," the man chuckles, he actually manages to chuckle in this situation.
The sound of his laugh surprises Law, bringing back memories of old.
"So what have you been up to?" Kiku asks, "how did you manage this call into Tartarus of all places?"
Law takes a deep breath and gets right into it, without mentioning the specifics he explains everything, and their faces shift from curiosity to complete disappointment.
"–And when I've done enough then I can get you guys out on some special conditions, then we'll all be back together again," he says with a hopeful tune in his voice, for the first time he sounds like what Nezu would expect a fifteen-year-old to be like.
That youthful vigor of hope that he always tries to nurture in his students. As expected it only comes out when he speaks of or to his family.
Dead silence fills the air as both his parents take in exactly what they just heard, and in one voice they speak in unison.
"No."
"What? What do you mean 'no,' what's wrong?" Law asks.
"This isn't right," Kiku says. "You got out fine, and now you're giving up this chance at a new life, to be truly free, for us…no."
"We chose the lives we did," his father says. "Now you get to start a new one, why waste so much of it chasing after the past?" 1
"But I…no…this is how we get back together," Law argues, "this is how I fix it, how I make our family whole!"
"You sound so fucking pathetic," Kiku spits out the words harshly. Nezu almost falls off his seat in shock. "We taught you better than this!" 6
"Apparently not enough," Corazon agrees.
"We don't bow to anyone," Kiku says. "We do whatever the hell we want, because we're adventurers. And we certainly don't play that stupid hero-villain game, we're above that." 8
"And we especially don't do things we don't enjoy," Corazon adds. "You'll hate every moment you spend risking your life and wasting your time to save those useless people who can't fend for themselves, people who always need some wannabe hero coming to hold their hand just to cross the street. You're too good to be spending time on people like that."
"But I'm not doing this for them!" Law argues. "I'm doing this because I want you two back. I just need to save enough people."
"You need to follow your training!" Kiku yells. "Did you forget what the fuck I taught you?! Always talk only to the man in charge, and if he has leverage on you, get rid of it, so why haven't you gotten rid of it?!"
"…" Law sits back and just stares at the screen, he knew this is what he was supposed to do, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. "Because you're my parents…" he says in a quiet voice. 1
"Yes," Corazon agrees. "And parents exist to help their children, to nurture them and build them up. We've done that perfectly, you're perfect son. You're more than we could each ever be, you've taken everything we taught you to heights we could never have dreamed of, you're a god, and now we're holding you back from living the life you want."
"Let us go," Kiku says. "Just let us go and they won't have any leverage, then you can really do whatever you want, and nobody in this world can even hope to stop you." 6
"But…but, you'll die," Law says in a quiet desperate voice.
"And you'll be truly free," Kiku says, and both of them nod. "You're a perfect god, and we've clearly outlived our usefulness, it's time for you to show the world what you're really about, and do it all your way." 10
Nezu nervously fidgets about, not at all expecting this turn of events, and now slightly unsure of how things would go. 5
A tense silence befalls the trio as Law leans back and considers his options.
"You're right," he says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees, fingers knitted together under his chin. "I am a god, you trained me to be perfect and peerless, and I am. You've both outlived your usefulness to me." 9
Both his parents smile at that, at the prospect of their son being truly free.
"But," Law says. "Since I can do whatever I want, that means I can save you… because all I want is for us to be whole again, and to fix my mistake. So I'm going to play this game out, complete this contract, and save both of you, you'll see." 5
Corazon shakes his head sadly, but with a small smile on his lips.
Kiku scowls, "you really are a fucking disappointment," she curses. And after a tense moment she cracks a wide smile, " but I also couldn't be prouder, deciding your own path and not letting anyone stop you, not even us, that's exactly the kind of person you're meant to be son. Just do us one favor." 4
"Anything."
"Show them why you're the best, peerless, a god. If you're gonna play the hero-villain game, then crush everyone and everything that tries to compete with you, alright." 1
"Of course, that was always the plan," Law chuckles.
"We really couldn't have asked for or raised a better son," Corazon admits. "Don't let what happened to us distract you anymore, and remember, we love you, no matter what."
"Yes, no matter what, we love you, always," Kiku says.
"I love you too," Law says. "And I promise I'll get you out of there, and then we'll never have to worry about anything else again."
Kiku chuckles, "in that case, we can't wait to see what you'll have become by that time, we're counting on you."
"I'll be on top of the world, I promise."
"We don't doubt that one bit," Corazon says. "That's where you've always been meant to be, we'll see you then."
"Yeah…I love you two…" Law says as the connection cuts off.
As the screen shuts off Law leans back, head tilted back on the soft couch to stare up at the ceiling. Taking a deep breath he suddenly feels mentally and emotionally exhausted. 3
To his left Nezu is breathing a sigh of relief, the conversation ended how he expected, but the road to get there was certainly filled with surprises. But at least now he's seen firsthand where Law inherited his thought process. 3
Nezu checks his phone then sets it aside, "they're already moving them down to level-5 of Tartarus, down there on the deepest floor it's inevitable the world forgets about them, we just need to wait for the international pressure to settle down." 5
"Right…" Law sighs and gets up, opening a massive ROOM reaching 5km in every direction, enough to cover UA's main building. Feeling it straining his energy he doesn't let it show at all, the perfect facade of effortless power. "With that out of the way I need to get back on my routine, and I'll need to go to Monaco to check the modifications on the new Megayacht." 1
"Oh… And perhaps visit that Nami girl you were running around with a few months ago in Monaco?" 15
"I prefer new shiny things," Law shrugs. "I just need to get as many miracles under my belt before UA, when Horizon goes public during the sports festival the higher the number the better it looks." 4
"And how many have you done thus far?" Nezu asks.
"Only eighty-seven."
Nezu's supercomputer brain instantly does the math, "with a fifty million minimum bid that's at least 4.3 billion, not bad for nine months of work at 15." 2
"Yeah, nothing compared to you, but thankfully I don't have most of my money wrapped up in UA and other companies, so I have more spending power than pretty much anyone else." 3
"The joys of working in cash," Nezu muses. "Well, you can send me back to my office now, I'll contact you if needed, aside from my usual calls." 1
"Gotcha, see ya," Law snaps his fingers.
SHAMBLES
Nezu disappears from his seat, swapped with a single pen from in his office. 3
Closing the ROOM, Law takes a deep breath and wipes a hand down his face, feeling the emotions hammering away at him. 1
"C'mon," he says to himself. "You're perfect, let's just get the job done, just three months left until UA, time to make the most of it…" 2
END CHAPTER–
UA starts the next chapter, expectations? 16
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Chapter 24: CHAPTER 022(First Day At UA) 6
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
–April 7th, 2115, Matani Estate…
"So are you excited for your first day?" Nezu's cheery voice asks, excitedly waving to Law through the video on his phone. 6
Law just sighs, silently cleans up his kitchen after making his protein shake, and grabs it as well as his phone. "It's too early for you to be this excited," he grumbles.
Nezu can't help but shake his head as Law's bare upper body comes into view, all the tattoos exposed for him to see. "It's your first day of school, the first day in a place where you can use your Quirk without having to hide, you should be excited too." 17
SHAMBLES
Law appears in his bedroom and sets the phone down on the dresser. Wearing only a pair of shorts he walks over to his bed and sighs, then looks out to the sun already hanging above the ocean.
"So early, is Yagi even there yet?" he asks. 1
SHAMBLES
His white body glove appears on his body, already covered by his UA uniform,grey blazer with green pants, long red tie, and a white shirt beneath. A single button on each shoulder to indicate he's in the Hero Course. In addition, he has a white Rolex on his left wrist and a pair of white dress shoes on his feet. The visor is already on his head, his voice now becomes slightly more mechanical. 7
"He's on his way," Nezu says, seeing Horizon turn away from the camera and walk across the room. On the back of his grey UA blazer, he sees Horizon's logo. "Did you really have to put that on the uniform?" he scoffs. Shaking his head at the sight of Horizon's logo printed in the same UA green on the back of the uniform.
"Would you believe it helps with my Quirk?" 1
"No."
"Oh well," Horizon shrugs as he gets to the other side of the room. Reaching his table to pick up a katana, safely stored within the white scabbard decorated with Horizon's blue smiley face logo is a 120cm -4ft-long white blade, the guard is square with blue accents and connects to the 25cm -10in-hilt, which is also white with blue accents. 8
Overall, his sword from the tip of the blade to the end of its hilt, is one inch shorter than Tsuyu Asui. 37
Picking up the sword he also grabs the briefcase-like metal case that was resting beside it, previously silver with '19' on it, but now repainted in white with his logo in blue on both sides.
"Do you really have to put your logo on everything?" Nezu asks. 2
"Branding is important." 4
"I sent you your hero gear early for you to 'get used to it' -and you still haven't told me what that's supposed to mean by the way-, not for you to deface UA property." 2
"It's not like anyone else is gonna be using my stuff," Horizon says as the hero gear disappears and the view suddenly swaps to his office. As he grabs a fresh ring binder notebook and pencil case, both also with his logo, Nezu sighs.
"How do you even do this, is there anything you didn't add it to."
"No. Is this really gonna be a problem?"
"Mmm, just try to only put it on things that are yours, meaning no more UA property." 8
"Done," Horizon says as the view once again changes, this time Nezu recognizes the inside of his car. "Just gotta get this off…" he mutters before removing his visor. "Can't let people see Horizon driving Law's car after all…"
While Horizon secures everything in the back seat Nezu can't help but make a suggestion, "you know if you went for the collapsable sword design we recommended this would be a lot easier."
"And it would also be weaker, plus I needed the extra length in case I ever have to get too close to a power type or something, I'm tall, I might as well use it to my advantage."
"And did everything else meet your standards?"
"Yeah, looks good too."
"Have you considered one of the more heroic designs I sent you, perhaps one with the giant scalpel for a sword?" Nezu asks. 12
"Oh fuck no, I'm not some gimmicky hero, sleek efficiency, that's part of the image," Law starts his car and begins driving. 9
"I suppose your outfit does better fit your image, I'll set out a spot for you to warp to, Toshinori has almost arrived…" Nezu hangs up, letting Law enjoy the short drive to UA in peace…
–15 Minutes Later…
Law sits in his car and carefully puts on his visor, already parked in the garage of his Musutafu building.
"ROOM," his perception expands, the few thousand meters between him and Nezu's office are covered. He focuses on Nezu's office and notices a single leaf, likely from one of the plants in the room, resting on the couch. 7
"Shambles," he appears on the couch, sitting comfortably in his uniform. In front of him is a coffee table, on the other side is an identical black couch. To his right is Nezu's desk with the principal sorting out some paperwork, a cabinet along the wall to the side of the room with a teamaking station, and a massive glass pane behind Nezu, looking out as Musutafu.
"I can foresee that many people won't appreciate your warping around campus," Nezu says without even looking up at him.
"They'll get over it," Horizon says. He raises a hand and snaps his finger, the katana and metal case appear on the couch beside him. With him getting more attuned to them he can freely summon them to his location once they're within his room, but this is the extent of his control thus far. 4
He closes his massive ROOM and opens a smaller one.
'SCAN,' he gets an entire 3D map of the main building, four fifteen-story buildings connected by walkways halfway up and at the base, making a massive square shape. Four pillars supporting the future of all its students.
He can 'see' everyone moving about, all he gets are vague forms. As if they were all in black and white with blank features, simple 3D outlines. 5
With more dedicated focus he could hone in on singular components, effectively if he were more perverse…or simply someone who wasn't a doctor that was used to seeing people naked. He could peer past their clothes once it isn't melded to their body and get a true outline of them. 6
Looking around campus he could only see less than a third of the people he expected, not surprising since it was only 7:20 am, but he focused in on the cafeteria especially.
'I need to get used to this campus as quickly as possible so I can warp around, get ahead of all the lines Lunch Rush must always have, a cafeteria run by a pro chef hero must be good…' he muses to himself as Nezu finishes up his paperwork. 3
"Yagi is in the elevator," Horizon says. "He just got off the phone…"
Nezu puts his completed paperwork to the side and hops down from his chair, nearly disappearing behind his desk if not for his ears, casually walking over to his tea station. "Tea?"
"I'm good," Horizon lifts his protein shake.
"Ahh," Nezu begins making two cups of tea. "So will you ever tell me how that whole 'sensing people through walls' ability works?" 2
"That one, probably not," Horizon opens the base of his visor to take a drink of his shake. "But I'll reveal some of my abilities during the sports festival." 8
"Really? I recall you saying that information is power, I'm surprised you'd be willing to do such a thing," Nezu moves to sit on the couch opposite Horizon, two teacups in his paws.
"It is, but I realized that I'm a rare case where knowing what my Quirk is will act as a deterrent, it's like if you know someone has super strength you would work around it. But if you know someone is invincible you'd just avoid them entirely. Plus it helps that even if someone knows what my Quirk is, it's indefensible," he shrugs. 11
"I see," Nezu scampers up to take a seat on the couch, then takes a sip of his tea. "Well healing is one thing, but Warp is certainly one that no villain will be rushing to challenge, certainly not your type of instant warping. I haven't revealed your abilities to anyone, not even your homeroom teacher. In fact, only detective Naomasa and I know that you can both Warp and Heal, even Yagi only knows about the healing."
"Any particular reason?"
"Your homeroom teacher, Eraserhead, he disagrees with me allowing you into the school without taking one of the entrance exams, but he trusts me enough to not question it…at least not anymore. He said he doesn't care what Quirk registration forms say, only how you apply it, although Hand of God is left blank in the description section, that made him curious."
"Right, his Quirk erases other Quirks, but he needs to see part of me that is still connected to me," Horizon raises his gloved hand. "My body glove prevents me from being influenced by his Quirk, but you already knew that since you always planned to pair me with him, so why allow it?" 11
Nezu takes another sip of his tea then rests the cup on the table, "I trust you enough not to do anything drastic and get expelled, you're a man of integrity, and you have too much to lose."
Horizon nods and just leans back into the couch, taking another sip of his drink. "Good assessment," he looks at the door, "come in!"
CLICK
The door opens and Yagi shyly peeks inside, "just as I was about to knock," he says while entering and closing it behind him. Wearing a simple black suit a few sizes too big for him. "Good morning Horizon, principal Nezu," he sits beside Nezu, directly opposite Horizon's gear. "Nice sword."
"Thanks, how are you feeling?"
"Much better," Yagi takes his cup of tea. "I honestly didn't realize how much I missed solid food."
"Have you been sticking to the diet?" Horizon asks in a near-threatening growl. 2
"Of course! And I've been taking the vitamins you prescribed, I haven't strayed once from them I promise."
Horizon shrugs, "well it's your life, end it if you want, now can we get this over with, I wanna go walk around campus. Are students allowed on the roof?"
"No," Nezu immediately says. 2
"Uh-huh, sure…" Horizon says with amusement in his voice, chuckling at the exasperated sigh Nezu gives him.
"Just try not to cause too much trouble please."
"Of course principal, now let's get this over with, you know the drill," Horizon leans forward and extends a hand to Yagi, noticing that the man was slightly less skeletal than when they met a year ago.
"Actually there is something else I'd like your opinion on before that," Nezu says.
Horizon leans back and looks at him, "only Yagi is in my contract, I'm not Recovery Girl, I'm not healing everything you point me at…"
"Nothing like that," Nezu waves his hands around dramatically. He then reaches into his vest and pulls out a remote. With a click, a hologram appears to hover above to coffee table. In it is a massive robot and what looks to be a girl with brown hair trapped under some rubble. The focus of the image is a green-haired boy in a tracksuit who looks to be running toward the robot while everyone else runs away.
"What is this, a picture from the entrance exam?"
"A video," Nezu says. "What happens next can potentially reflect poorly on UA, I'd like your analysis of his Quirk. His name is Izuku, and he's about to destroy that Zero-pointer robot."
"Why me?"
Yagi raises a hand slightly, "principal Nezu has touted your analytical abilities when it comes to Quirks as second to none, this is a chance for you to prove it."
"I am second to none," Horizon insists. "Doesn't mean I do charity, my minimum bid is 50 million for a reason, just give me the remote."
Nezu tosses the remote and he casually catches it, laying back and playing the video.
In the video Izuku runs forward a few steps before crouching down slightly, then his right arm and both legs buckle and strain unnaturally as the road beneath his feet cracks.
Horizon pauses the video. "I've seen enough," he tosses the remote back to Nezu. 1
"What?" Yagi asks, shocked and somewhat disappointed at how quickly the video was dismissed.
"Let me guess," Horizon leans forward and pokes the hologram with two fingers, zooming in on Izuku's feet. "Since the floor beneath him cracked so easily while his body didn't naturally position itself to handle the impact, either he isn't used to fighting or for some reason has never bothered to train his Quirk before coming to this exam. Then considering the angles his legs are about to be strained at I'm guessing he breaks them, and his arm since he looks to be gearing up for a strong right, worse form than a rookie but it's still a punch. Then he breaks his arm and falls to his death because he's worthless trash, right?" 4
Nezu and Yagi look at each other in amazement before awkwardly turning back to Horizon.
"Someone caught him thankfully," Yagi says. Horizon plays the video and it happens exactly like he expected, aside from Izuku being caught. "Your analysis is truly incredible…" he says in awe. 1
"Honestly I'm more surprised mister '12 supercomputers for a brain' even needed help," Horizon chuckles and nods toward Nezu, taking a final sip of his shake.
"My aptitude is almost entirely in logistics, the inner workings of Quirks is an entirely different situation," Nezu says. "Thankfully we have you, and you're incredible both." 5
"Is there anything you'd recommend for this boy?" Yagi asks, trying and failing to hide his excitement at the thought of Izuku having someone who can solve his problem with One For All.
"Yeah, go do something where he doesn't need his quirk," Horizon shakes his head at the video. "Can't believe someone as pathetic as that actually had the balls to take the exam, honestly it's so reckless and irresponsible that it's almost impressive, but assuming by some miracle he doesn't die the next time he does that, likely by accidentally sending power upward and breaking his own neck or spine, he'll end up a cripple after a few more of those hits," he shrugs. "Recovery Girl is good but she makes the body functional, she can't completely undo damage to nerves, bones, and tissue, that's all me. He's just lucky his joints didn't break this time." 4
Yagi nearly throws up at those words, Nezu gives him a small pat on the leg to help him keep focused. He kneads the fabric of his pants and looks across to Horizon. "And how would you recommend he gets that power under control?"
"Oh god," Horizon looks at Nezu, "please tell me you didn't actually accept this useless fuck!"
"We did."
Horizon groans, "and is it in my class?" 9
"HE, is."
Horizon throws his head back and groans even louder, "you promised me competition and now give me a fucking cripple, what a disappointment." 4
"You know in any other school you'd be punished for that kind of language," Nezu says. "Your lucky our Hero Course students are expected to deal with that kind of behavior, the public won't hold back with their words so we can use you to prepare them for that." 6
"I don't care about helping you train heroes," Horizon says. He points at Izuku on the screen, "and I'm not here to be a teacher. His problems are his level of mastery with the power flow, distribution, and regulation, and he's clearly a moron for going this long in his life without solving that. Figured ten years of having a Quirk you'd stop hurting yourself, he must be a special kind of dumbass."
"What do you mean by that exactly?" Yagi asks, hoping to get some insight into what his protoge needs. 1
Horizon just shrugs, "that's all you're getting. I don't help self-harming garbage, especially not for free."
"Bu–" Yagi is about to launch into a speech when Nezu rests a paw on his leg, already knowing this would only escalate, as has many conversations between him and Horizon this past year.
"How about we get to why we're here," Nezu suggests, getting a nod from both men.
"Alright, just take my hand," Horizon reaches over the table.
Yagi nods and takes his hand, and Horizon immediately begins scanning him.
After a few seconds, Yagi lets go, but Horizon tightens his hold, "Hmmm, that's odd…" he mutters Quietly, visor staring directly at Yagi's chest. "It's as if your Quirk is suddenly gone–" 1
Both Nezu and Yagi stiffen at that, not liking where this is going, Yagi tries to yank his hand away only for Horizon's free hand to also hold onto it.
Horizon shakes his head muttering under his breath, "that's impossible…Quirks can't just…what…" he keeps scanning over and over for a few more seconds before looking at Yagi.
"What happened to your Quirk?" he asks in a strange voice, both menacing and curious. All while constantly pouring more and more of his energy into scanning Yagi. Over and over, still unable to believe or make sense of what he was sensing in each cell.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about…" Yagi tries to lie and fails miserably.
"Tch, even if that was a convincing lie," Horizon raises his hands, still holding Yagi's one massive right hand, "while I'm touching someone I act as a polygraph, something I developed after meeting the detective…so, be honest this time, what happened to your Quirk?" 18
END CHAPTER– 1
Wow what a way to start the weekend, see ya'll Monday :) 1
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Chapter 25: CHAPTER 023(Unprecedented)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START– 1
"So, be honest this time, what happened to your Quirk?" 1
Yagi and Nezu both froze at those words, Nezu's mind racing to solve this problem without starting a fight, while Yagi still had Horizon's hand holding his right hand. Staring into the two blue eyes of Horizon's visor. 2
He felt a shiver run down his spine, all the hairs at the back of his neck standing on end. This sickening feeling, the sudden change in atmosphere. From a crude but necessary doctor to such an imminent threat. Yagi was astonished, but as All Might he's faced worse.
And as his bright blue pupils stare right back at Horizon, just as when he faced of against the symbol of evil and the countless villains in his life, his eyes never blink. Conviction and hope keep them bright and as unflinching as ever.
"My Quirk was unique," Yagi said. 2
"Unique how?"
"It allowed the user to get rid of it, allowing me to completely rid myself of it, as you've detected."
"Hmm, I'm not detecting a lie…but this…Quirks are part of us, part of our DNA, this doesn't make sense, it's hard to believe," Horizon says in a low, nearly threatening voice. 1
"I know," Yagi sighs. "But this is the truth, I got rid of it when I realized that it was time for me to let go, for me to stop clinging to the past and focus on the future, when I finally accepted what was going to happen to me," he lifts his left hand up to touch his side. 2
A tense silence hangs in the air for a while as everyone holds their breaths, not sure what would happen next.
"Can it happen to me?" Horizon asks. 5
Yagi shakes his head, "no, this was a feature of my Quirk, it can't affect others, and even if it could, you know I'm essentially Quirkless now, running on the last embers of my power."
Horizon doesn't detect any lies, so instead he focuses on Yagi's body. Pouring more and more energy into scanning him, so much that he could barely support a room large enough to fit UA's main building.
He mapped much of his DNA and genome before taking a step back and dropping back in his seat. Mentally exhausted, although he refused to show it.
To both the people sitting across from him, nothing changed.
Taking a few deep breaths he steadies his mind, "I don't particularly care about you, obviously I'm interested in how your Quirk managed to do that. But I just had to make sure that you can't remove my Quirk," he shrugs. 2
Yagi and Nezu both breathe a sigh of relief, "well I'm glad that's all taken care of," Nezu says.
"But I won't be healing him anymore," Horizon cuts their little celebration short.
"What? Why?" Yagi asks.
"Because you've wasted my time. I performed a miracle to heal you yet the energy reserves in you diminished so much, unnaturally fast. You've been using your Quirk damn near every day since that first day we met. Plus it's not like I could do any more for you, just try not to get hurt, you're in the contract so I'll honor that…but I'd rather not waste my time healing self-sacrificial trash."
"Ah–I see," Yagi bows politely, "thank you."
"Your timer is down to six years," Horizon says. "That's less than half of what I originally gave you, try not to waste it. Honestly, nothing about you is normal, not surprising since you're the only person to probably ever exist that's born with a Quirk while not having the extra bone in their toe that Quirk users have…such an odd case…" 7
'But one that I'll eventually solve,' Horizon thinks to himself as Yagi and Nezu share a moment of relief. 'I can't mess with genetics yet, but after an entire year of traveling and training I was able to map his genetic sequences while making contact for a few minutes, I'll figure out more about this whole situation on my own, pressing them any further could complicate things and put my position at risk…' 5
"Thank you for not prying," Yagi nods respectfully. "And for everything that you've done for me."
"Tch, don't mention it." Horizon turns to Nezu and checks the time on his phone, only five minutes until homeroom starts. "Are we done here?" 1
"Toshinori has something to take care of," Nezu gives Yagi a curt nod, thankfully he seems to have gotten the hint. "But you and I have some other things to discuss." 1
"What things?"
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll at least find it entertaining."
"Then I'll be on my way," Yagi gets up and gives them both a nod, "I need to go make a quick phone call, I wish you both a good day…"
Nezu nods and Horizon makes no effort to respond, only sitting in his spot and taking deep breaths, trying to restore what stamina he can after scanning Yagi for so many details. At the moment he didn't even have a ROOM open, he was simply that drained.
Stepping into the hallway Yagi immediately dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Seeing it was only a few minutes before homeroom begins he frantically called Izuku.
'As expected of a fanboy,' he thinks as the call is answered before the first ring can even finish.
"Uh, hello, I'm walking to class…" Izuku says in a quiet voice, not wanting anyone to know he's talking to All Might.
"Right, young Midoriya, there's something I need to warn you about before homeroom," Yagi scans the hallway, thankful the top floor of this tower was currently barren, as usual.
"Warn me?!"
"Settle down kid, it's one of your classmates, I need you to be careful around him." 6
"Hmm, is he dangerous?" Izuku asks with a shaky voice.
"In a way, listen I know you don't have much time but I'll make it real simple. You've got a lot more competition than I ever expected, principal Nezu has been bragging about this kid for a while and it looks like it wasn't all hot air."
"The principal?"
"Yeah, the same doctor I told you was able to somewhat heal me… that guy."
"A doctor?! But I thought you said classmate?"
"I did," Yagi says. "He's in your class, he just turned 16, and he's a serious monster, don't give him any information about One For All, got it, stick to the cover that your Quirk is just SuperPower." 10
"Got it…but, is it really that bad?"
"Well, I just had a casual checkup with him, it took him all of two seconds to notice the difference from a year ago, that my Quirk is gone. He kept scanning me, he supposedly read my DNA, if that's true then–"
"He'll notice One For All in me," Izuku sounded like he wanted to cry already.
"Stop with the waterworks," Yagi groans.
"Sorry…" he sniffles.
"Listen, his Quirk is touch-based, just don't let him touch you and you'll be fine. But when he touches you he can also detect any lies you try to tell. Not to mention he was able to figure out what you've been doing wrong with One For All and how to fix it at a glance. He basically saw a picture of you before you left the ground to smash that robot and gave a full breakdown." 6
"That's impossible! Even you haven't been able to–" Izuku cuts himself off. "WAIT! No! I mean I'm grateful for everything you've done for me it just–"
"I know what you meant kid, it's fine," Yagi sighs. "Honestly it felt like crap sitting there and watching him be better at my job than me, but the reason I'm telling you this is so that you don't underestimate him, don't give him any information at all unless you want him to put the pieces together, got it?" 6
"Yes sir, I'll be sure to keep my distance and not say a word." 5
"Good, but don't forget that there will be things you can learn from all of your classmates, especially this one."
"Of course, I always look for things I can learn from others."
"That's one of the many things that I like about you kid," Yagi chuckles. "As for the kid I warned you about, his name is Horizon, trust me, you won't be able to miss him…" 3
–Nezu's Office…
"So what do we need to talk about?" Horizon asks.
"Oh, Eraserhead is about to give your classmates their first little taste of life in UA, I figured we could watch together," Nezu says cheerfully as he removes the remote from his vest and activates the hologram between them. This time to an empty training field.
"Uh, shouldn't you be at the entrance ceremony mister principal?"
"Vice-Principal Ectoplasm can cover for me this time, I'd much rather be here. I promised you competition, this is my first chance to make good on that promise."
"And shouldn't I be down there too, not that I want to be."
"Oh this Quirk Apprehension test isn't necessary for you, it's simply a way of getting the message into their heads that Quirks are part of their beings. While society at large suppresses the use of Quirks unless you're a hero, here at UA we encourage Hero Course students to use their Quirks wherever they can effectively apply them. Most of your classmates went to public schools where they would get in trouble for Quirk use so this message will take a while for them to understand." 7
"Hmm, makes sense," Horizon thinks it over for a second. "Most?"
"Mhm, Todoroki was homeschooled, just like you, and I assume he must have been trained very well by his father." 1
"Todoroki? Like Endeavour?" 2
"His son, yes."
"Interesting, Endeavour is the hero with the highest level of Quirk-Mastery, highest in the world as far as I can see… it's actually very impressive, even by my standards, if his son is anything like that it could actually be fun to slap him around," Horizon chuckles at the thought.
"Really? 'Slap him around', are you that confident against the child of the number 2 hero?" 1
Horizon laughs at that ridiculous question, "trust me, basic elemental Quirks can't beat me, no matter how strong they are, but that doesn't mean I can't have some fun before winning…" 9
"They're taking the field," Nezu says as nineteen students begin walking onto the training ground. "I'm sure at least one of them will have a Quirk you find interesting…" 8
"We'll see about that…"
END CHAPTER–
Comment: Please don't drop this book
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Chapter 26: CHAPTER 024(Disappointments) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
"He's up, cripple boy," Horizon says, leaning back on Nezu's couch with a bottle of water in his hand. 1
"You're calling him 'Cripple Boy'?" Nezu asks, watching Izuku walk up to throw the baseball.
"It's what he'll be if he doesn't get his shit together, but if Eraserhead is as much of a hardass as you said his hero career ends here," Horizon shrugs and gives the screen his full attention.
Nezu takes a sip from his second cup of tea. "Unfortunately unless Midoriya has made some great improvements that appears to be the case, normally he'd expel you for not showing up on the first day of school, but since you're with me he can't do that."
They see Izuku eventually throw the ball by only activating One For All in a single finger, and Nezu smiles, but Horizon just sighs in disappointment.
"It's rare for a Quirk to hurt the user like that," Horizon says. "Most Quirks have a kind of built-in recoil absorption, but somehow you let in two Quirks without that adaptation. One breaks bones and the other needs a diaper." 18
"True, but Midoriya and Aoyama have great potential, as he's just shown," Nezu says as they watch Eraserhead restrain Bakugo. 2
As they continue watching the test, Eraserhead guides the students to the sit-up, pushup, and long-distance running sections, and both Nezu and Horizon can't help but get a bit bored.
"So how much did you tell your staff about me?" Horizon asks.
"Absolutely nothing," Nezu cackles a bit but gets himself under control. "I think it'll be quite amusing to see their reactions, especially since many of them were against me breaking our 'No Scouting' policy for you, they were up in arms after I didn't require you to take the entrance exam, or even the recommended students exam."
"And you want me to show off and prove them wrong, right?"
"Right, it's quite obvious that I'm playing favorites for you, so I'd like you to show that I made the right decision to do so."
"Not like that wasn't the plan anyway," Horizon shrugs. "Popularity is the easiest way to climb the ranks, so I'll be using everything I can."
"Excellent, now, did you see any Quirks from your classmates that you believe can challenge you?" Nezu asks with a smirk.
"Nope, not even close," Horizon casually says, then takes a sip of his water.
"Todoroki?" Nezu asks.
"I can Warp, that makes projectiles and brawlers pretty much useless, plus my sword can out damage literally everything in that class. Could have maybe been fun if the guy would use his fire, but it looks like he isn't confident with that side of his body."
"Bakugo?"
"Same thing as Todoroki, just he seems more loud and annoying. But he can't hit me and I can beat his damage, very badly at that."
"Hmm," Nezu strokes his chin for a moment. "Midoriya?"
"SuperPower that he can't even control, what a joke." 5
"Iida?"
"Warping makes speed irrelevant since my reaction time is near instant," Horizon shrugs. 1
"Fumikage?"
"Dark Shadow huh… I'm fairly sure it sucks against light, judging by the name and appearance, so I can counter it."
"Naval Laser?" 1
"That had better be a joke," Horizon grumbles. 1
"Hardening?"
"I can break any defense."
"Zero Gravity?"
"Doesn't really work against people who aren't dependant on gravity to move, like fliers or warpers." 3
"Tail?"
"Oh now you're just trying to be funny," Horizon chuckles. "He's basically any Quirkless fuck with a stick." 17
"Invisibility?"
"Hmm, I can sense people, but is it mutation or emitter type?"
"Mutation," Nezu says. 4
"Damn…if it was Emitter I'd be able to see her…but wait, if she isn't blind then it's an emitter type, right? True invisibility is impossible as a mutation because it would make you either blind or a pair of floating eyeballs," he says. 13
"Her application said Mutation, and she's been invisible since birth," Nezu says. "Perhaps it was wrong, but you'll find out soon enough." 9
"What about her?" Horizon asks, gesturing to a pretty girl with a wild ponytail. "The one doing situps with Jiro."
"Momo Yaoyorozu–" 1
"Yaoyorozu?" Horizon asks, surprise in his voice. "Never expected that, that family is almost as rich as me," he chuckles.
"You would have bumped them off the top twenty most wealthy dynasties in Japan if your assets were publicly audited," Nezu says. "Still nowhere close to being number one however."
"Well I'm sorry if I don't have the biggest brain on the planet to work stocks and sell patents, but unlike you, I don't have to sink all my money into funding UA, how much does it cost you a year? Construction is dirt cheap since Quirks exist, but you really like using robots…"
"The cost is astronomical, plus the infrared security system is also quite expensive, since UA is a dozen kilometers across."
"Yeah well I'm sure the hero tax on people like All Might and Endeavour paid for some of it, right?"
"Aside from them that hasn't covered much," Nezu shrugs. "But the tax isn't about the money, not entirely."
"Mhm," Horizon nods. "A completely free education with all books and uniforms included…on the condition that you get 5% of their hero salary for the first 10 years of hero work, a good way to make sure you don't let any good Quirks slip by just because they couldn't afford the otherwise insane cost of studying here."
"Exactly, and speaking of Ms. Yaoyorozu, she was a recommended student."
"Really, her Quick is Item Creation?" Horizon asks, seeing her making roller skates and starting the long-distance run.
"No, just Creation, any non-living thing can be made from her fat cells."
Horizon stares at the screen for a moment, "she's made a baseball pitcher, skates, a vice, car jacks, and a few other things…so either she ignores the laws of thermodynamics…or her fat cells are extra dense because of her Quirk." 15
"She hasn't mentioned either of those," Nezu says.
"She probably hasn't noticed, most people don't notice things like that. I didn't notice the changes my Quirk makes to my body until I started blacking out…wasn't eating enough," he shrugs. 2
"Well that explains why you're always eating when I see you, you're big but two pizzas is still a bit much." 7
"You'll get used to it, but as for Creation girl, I'm guessing she isn't allowed to make firearms or certain weapons right, because from the looks of it her items don't decay."
"Nope, she's forbidden from making any reusable illegal items, grenades and such are fine because they're destroyed with each use, but guns are a no-no," Nezu says in a cheery voice. "Are you perhaps interested in her?" 4
"I was…"
"Really? Well, you do have a type from what I've seen."
Horizon grumbles, "not like that Nezu, and you know I can't date heroes, that's a nightmare. Her Quirk, I've never seen anything so close to reaching mine, not as powerful but the versatility makes up for it. If she didn't have such limited fuel then we could have maybe had a good fight, even I can't be ready for everything she can do with that Quirk." 25
"Exactly why we accepted her, along with her getting the third highest score on the recommended entrance exam, but the first place winner declined UA after the exam for some reason," Nezu says in a sad voice, a small sigh escapes his mouth as he recalls such promising talent walking away from UA.
"Must have been one hell of an obstacle course race… too bad he didn't accept, maybe he would have been some competition."
"His Quirk was wind manipulation–"
"Nevermind, add him to the trash pile…" Horizon groans in disappointment and leans back. 7
Nezu shakes his head, "I just hope you don't embarrass yourself when the time comes to back up all your talk," he glances to the screen, seeing the field completely empty. Looking at his phone he reads a short message from Eraser Head. "It looks like Midoriya won't be expelled for his performance today." 2
"What? That doesn't make any sense, why?"
"You can ask him when you see him, however, I have absolute trust in Aizawa," Nezu hops down from the couch and walks over to Horizon.
"What?" he looks down at Nezu.
"Your classmates will be back in the classroom soon to get a breakdown of the UA syllabus, but I'll need to steal Aizawa away for a few minutes to discuss some things with Vlad King, he's class 1Bs teacher, let's go to your homeroom, I'd like to say hello to your classmates, and explain your absence so Aizawa doesn't snap," Nezu makes a 'pick up' gesture similar to a baby. 6
Horizon groans and shakes his head, "I'm not carrying you."
"C'mon, I'm less than a meter tall, look at these adorable tiny legs," he gestures to his feet and moves them about. "You're 193cm -6ft3-, just carry me so we'll save time." 8
Horizon looks at Nezu, then at his metal case, and Katana, "I can't believe this."
"The sword can remain in my office, there isn't a spot for it in the shelves," Nezu says.
Horizon sighs and reaches down, placing Nezu to sit on his shoulder as he stands up, "I can't believe I'm doing this, do you do this with everyone?" he asks while picking up his metal case, book, and pencil case, all with his logo on them. 3
"Mostly with Vlad King, he's about as tall as you are, but a lot nicer." 4
"You'll get over it…" Horizon mutters as they leave the office, careful and bored steps toward class 1A… 1
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 27: CHAPTER 025(Enter Horizon) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
"Don't waste that much time walking back to class next time," Aizawa grumbles as everyone enters the classroom, the quiet conversations going silent as they find their seats.
He looks over the class, and glances at Izuku, "how's your finger?"
"Much better sir!" Izuku answers, raising his hand and waving around the bandaged digit.
"Good, because this is how low the bar has been set, from this moment onward, I expect constant improvement from each and every one of you." Everyone stiffens up as his voice suddenly becomes strict. "Look around, there are twenty students in this class, and hundreds that want your spots, at UA we demand constant improvement, to stop improving is to fall behind, and people are just waiting for the chance to take your place."
Some people begin to sweat ever so slightly at those words.
"Sir!" Iida raises his hand.
"What is it?"
"You said twenty students, but…" he looks to his left, past Koda, past Tokayami, to the empty seat behind Izuku and in front of Yaoyorozu. 1
"He's a special case, and he'll be here shortly," Aizawa says. "For now I want you to focus on these," Aizawa taps the board and a long list appears. "These are your scores from the entrance exams and the test we just completed, the recommended students are colored in blue while everyone else is in white, only because they had a different practical exam during the entrance exam, you've all been ranked…"
A flurry of 'oohs' is heard as each student scans the board. Yaoyorozu fights the proud smirk on her lips, yet blushes slightly, genuinely surprised to be at the very top of the board. Scoring 92 on the written exam, 3rd in the obstacle course for the recommended entrance exam, and first in the quirk test.
The entire class turns to her for a moment causing her to blush even more. Todoroki is in third, with Bakugo between them.
And Bakguo's face splits into a devious grin, suppressing his rowdy victorious laugh as he sees Izuku down at number nineteen.
"As you can see," Aizawa says, "at UA, competition is one of our primary motivators. Every exam, every test, every mid-term and finals, you will be ranked like this and everyone will see your scores. You aren't just trying to surpass yourself from yesterday, but all the people here sitting beside you."
The entire room perks up at his words, suddenly feeling more and more pressure trying to crush them, the expectations of a UA student.
For some like Iida and Bakugo, it made them stronger, made them want to fight harder and surpass their limits.
For Yaoyorozu and Izuku, it made them feel to curl up into a ball and hide away. 1
But everyone felt something at this realization finally setting in.
"This year alone seventeen thousand people were competing for these spots. In this room alone we've got two recommended students," most of the class glances back at Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, "and seventeen public entrance exam students, if you slack off it's over…" 2
As Aizawa continues, most of the class does the simple math and can't quite get it out of their heads '172=19, not 20.'
They look past Aizawa and to the board behind him, eyes dropping to the very bottom of the list.
'Horizon
Entrance Exam Score:–
Written Exam Score:–
Quirk Apprehension Test:–'
Iida can't help it and raises his hand, unable to fight his desire to stand and confront this.
Eraser grumbles and glances over to him, "if you want to know just ask Horizon when he gets here," he says before going back to his terrifying speech.
Iida sits back in his seat impatiently.
Hearing that name and seeing it on the board confirms what All Might told him earlier, and Izuku begins sweating nervously, looking down at his hand. 'If he touches me he could notice how unusual One For All is, and connect me with All Might…no, with Toshinori Yagi, since he doesn't know he's All Might, I need to be careful,' he clenches his fist and nearly screams in pain, forgetting about his injured finger. 2
"Alright, now I'll give a short breakdown of the syllabus, in the hero course each homeroom teacher has complete control over their class, so–"
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
The massive door at the front of the room slides open.
All eyes are glued to Horizon and Nezu, stepping into the room with the metal case for his hero costume hanging in his right hand, and a notebook and pencil case in his left.
Towering over most of the class and taller than Shoji by just 5cm -2 inches-, making him look like a giant before some of his peers. The UA uniform didn't do much to stop the intimidating presence he gave off, silently turning his head, the black visor glancing about the room, completely unreadable. 3
But this presence caused everyone to get confused when they looked up to see Nezu sitting on his shoulder, happily smiling down at them. 1
'So cute!' most of the girls thought, while some people were just confused about the entire situation. 1
"Hello everyone!" Nezu excitedly waves at the students. "It's your favorite Mouse-Bear, impossibly adorable, and most importantly, your principal! Nezu!" he sees confused and amazed looks at his introduction. He taps the top of Horizon's visor a few times, "and this is your classmate, Horizon, sorry he's a bit late. He actually got to school early but I called him into my office to deal with some matters, and we decided to watch your Quirk test from there, excellent work everyone! I can tell we've got a batch of future heroes right here." 9
"You're really the principal?" Uraraka blurts out, "you're so cute!" 3
Aizawa groans which they all ignore, and Horizon just quietly listens, currently acting as a statue for Nezu to sit on.
"Of course I'm your principal Ms. Uraraka," he waves to her. "It was decided by who had the best hair, and naturally no human could ever match the luscious shine of my coat, so I've been the principal of UA for nearly fifty years." 4
All but a few people freeze at that, since Nezu isn't in the spotlight like most heroes young children will rarely know about him unless they have to.
"He's messing with you infinity girl," Horizon says, his slightly mechanical voice sending a chill down her spine. "He's a mouse that developed a Quirk, High Spec, gives him a brain better than a dozen supercomputers, 'intellect beyond human comprehension' is the official description, he also pays for all the robots that tried to kill you in the entrance exam…most important person in UA." 3
"And he's so cute!" Mina can't help but yell out. Earning a small chorus of agreement.
Aizawa grumbles loudly, "Nezu, here for one minute and already turned my class into a damn circus," he points at Horizon while everyone stares. "And you, don't get too comfortable because Principal Nezu is playing favorites, I expect you to work hard just like everyone else here, prove you deserve your spot."
"But I'm not playing favorites…" Nezu weakly defends, earning a doubtful glance from everyone in the room. 3
"Whatever, let's go, Vlad is waiting," Aizawa steps closer and Nezu hops down from Horizon's shoulder and onto his, getting comfortable in his scarf. He turns to the class, suddenly looking a lot less intimidating with Nezu on him, and speaks in a gruff voice. "I'll be back in a few minutes to explain the syllabus, don't get rowdy…"
"Good luck students, I'm expecting great things from all of you!" Nezu excitedly waves as the door closes, now leaving Horizon standing in front of the class.
ROOM
He immediately turns to look at Toru Hagakure, the formerly invisible girl, now he sees an adorable and slim girl with short white-green hair and eyes excitedly bouncing in her seat, mouthing the words to a song as she looks around the room. 10
'Guess it isn't a mutation, I should tell Nezu sometime…' he turns without saying a word and walks to the end of the room, directly opposite the front door. 1
"May I ask a question, Horizon!"
He stops and sighs, turning to see Iida standing stiffly, eyes completely focused on him.
"Well, I can't stop you."
"My name is Tenya Iida, it's a pleasure to meet you," Iida nods, and below his visor Horizon rolls his eyes. 1
"Get to the point Engine."
"Right, I'd like to know why you don't have any scores on the board," Iida points to the board behind Horizon, and he glances back for a moment to see.
"Oh, that. Question, why do those exams exist?" He asks nobody in particular.
"To test who is worthy of entering UA academy of course," Iida answers immediately.
"Exactly," Horizon places his one book and pencil case down on Aizawa's desk and continues walking to the far wall. "So why waste time and energy on someone who you know will always get a perfect score, and is incapable of losing to anyone else at the exam?" 7
"What are you saying?!" Iida asks, much of the class immediately got heated at Horizon's attitude and insinuation, Bakugo could almost feel his hands sweating as his veins bulged and eyes narrowed.
Horizon taps the wall, the closest of the four marked rectangles almost reaching from floor to ceiling to the front wall, and out comes a shelf with five similar metal cases.
He places his repainted case in the spot where number '19' would go while he answers, " I'm saying it's impossible for me not to get a perfect score, or to get beaten by any of you," he pushes the shelf back into the wall and moves to get his things from Aizawa's desk. Now turning to face the class, "so while all of you were fighting your little hearts out to get these precious spots…I took a day for myself and went surfing," he chuckles at their angry and horrified expressions. 4
Angry that he'd get such special treatment, and act like this toward them, but some were rightly horrified at a simple thought.
'If he didn't need the exams, just what kind of a monster is it?', mainly Todoroki, Bakugo, Iida, Izuku, and Yaoyorozu immediately thought of this, but over the next few seconds the thought entered everyone's mind, causing his already intimidating presence to appear downright monstrous. 2
And in their moment of horror and awe, that monster turned his attention to the most nervous, and sweaty person in the room, judging by how he was shaking and already had a layer of cold sweat on him. Izuku Midoriya. 2
Leaning back against Aizawa's desk Horizon keeps his arms at his side, palms down on the desk, and looks directly at Izuku. 1
"So, cripple boy, Izuku Midoriya, why the fuck are you still here?" 33
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 28: CHAPTER 026(Diagnosis: Pathetic) 5
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
"So, cripple boy, Izuku Midoriya, why the fuck are you still here?" Horizon asks, earning shocked and angry looks from most of the class.
"U-uh, well," Izuku's voice is barely audible. "Mr. Aizawa said that he still needs to explain the syl–"
"At UA," Horizon explains. "Why are you still here at UA and not expelled, like you should be, well?"
Bakugo smiles so hard at those words, leaning forward and almost growling out, "yeah, answer the question Deku!" 4
"Hey stop!" Uraraka stands up and yells, "you can't just go around bullying people like th–"
"Heroes need to be able to stand up for themselves," Horizon says bluntly. "Let him talk, and honestly, you're in the same boat. How the fuck do you get your foot stuck under a rock and need saving, when your Quirk is literally to make things weightless, well?" 8
Uraraka freezes, and Horizon tilts his head, as if asking her to respond. "W-well my Quirk has a limit that–" 1
"Excuses that I'm sure the people you fail to save will appreciate at their funerals, right?" he asks, and Uraraka feels sick to her stomach. "Still not at bad as him," her gestures to Izuku, now covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "You plan to answer the question?" 1
Uraraka silently takes her seat, head hanging in shame, and after a few moments, Izuku finally finds a voice.
"Mr Aizawa said he wasn't serious about expelling anyone," he says in a shaky voice.
Horizon chuckles, "right, the guy who is our homeroom teacher because he expelled all of what would have been class 2A on their first day…was kidding, really?"
The entire class breaks into murmurs at that, those at the lower end of the list realizing how close they were to really going home.
Iida stands up and points to Horizon, "why are you bullying our classmate, are you really so insistent on him going home?!"
"It's not bullying, it's a reality check," Horizon says, causing everyone to look at him all confused. "Deku -nice name by the way-breaks his body every time he uses his Quirk, contrary to what you morons think, Recovery Girl doesn't fully heal anything, she stimulates the cells of your body, essentially cutting your lifespan to accelerate the healing time, and it doesn't properly fix things like nerve damage."
Deku looks down at his hand, a mortified expression on his face. "Wh–"
"Meaning DEKU, only has about, three or four more chances before he becomes a fucking cripple, or he just dies, his pathetic level of Quirk mastery doesn't deserve to be here, he can't even save himself…" Horizon says, but his true thoughts were so much different. 5
Everyone in the room casts a wary look at Deku, all horrified at the damage he really takes to use his Quirk.
"But I…I want to be a hero too," Deku declares, still sounding so unsure of himself.
"Why?"
"Why?" Deku somehow looks confused by the question. "Because, I want to help people, like All Might!" he finally sounds confident. 2
Horizon groans loudly, "you put yourself and your family at risk because you're a hero-worshiping piece of trash, even when you can't control your Quirk…you're even more pathetic than I thought, and you're selfish too, disgusting." 14
"What, how is that selfish? I want to help people," Deku mumbles out. 3
Horizon just shakes his head, "look, either you quit now, or you're gonna end up a vegetable with shattered nerves, or dead, that's my professional opinion, and as the only person in the world who'd be able to heal you…I promise I rather watch you die than heal some self-sacrificing moron," he says coldly, then gestures to the door. "So…decide…" 9
Deku stares down at his desk, hands kneading together, feeling the bandage around his finger.
His mind flooded with countless horrifying thoughts.
'All Might said Horizon really is the best doctor, so if he won't heal me then I'm done, I'll be a cripple for the rest of my life, I'll probably never be able to get out of bed. But this is UA, my dream, I can be just like All Might, I can help people,' he looks down at his bandaged finger. 'But I'll destroy my body if I keep doing this, and I'm nowhere near ready to control One For All…' he mulls it over for a long moment before speaking. 8
Looking directly at Horizon he has a determined look on his face, even as tears are flowing down his face and onto his desk, "oh great, it's crying…" Horizon groans. 8
"Sacrificing yourself for others is what it means to be a true hero!" Deku declares proudly. "I'll break my body as many times as it takes, if I can at least save one person!" 8
Uraraka and a few others look at him in amazement, awestruck by his determination, while others look at him like a moron, and Bakugo is seething with rage that he didn't just quit. 1
"Well if that's your choice," Horizon picks up his single book and pencil case from Aizawa's desk and looks at Deku, "honestly I was hoping when you quit whoever replaces you would actually be able to give me some competition… because this roster is disappointing enough without you dragging it down," he sees everyone glare at him as he begins walking toward his seat.
"But now I guess I'll wait for you to cripple yourself or just die," he shrugs, stopping beside Deku and looking down at the crying boy, towering over him. "I just feel bad for your parents, they'll probably have to take care of a vegetable for the rest of their life, but hey, maybe they'll get lucky and your Quirk will kill you, then they can start over with a kid that isn't a complete disappointment," he says before casually taking his seat. 51
Most of the class looks disgusted by his words, and questions why someone like him is even here in the first place.
"Dude what the hell is your problem!" Kirishima stands up and yells across at Horizon, meanwhile Deku breaks down into sobs, Uraraka and Iida already moving toward his desk to talk to him. 3
"I had a very low bar when I entered UA," Horizon says, leaning back in his chair and taking out his phone. "I expected all of you to have at least a decent level of Quirk Mastery, sadly only what…three of you aren't worthless. And one of you morons doesn't even know what your Quirk actually does, not to mention cripple boy and Naval Laser who actively hurt themselves…the bar was low and you disappointments managed to limbo under it." 11
"That doesn't mean you get to be a bully, not manly at all dude!" Kirishima insists.
"I agree," Momo says from behind Horizon, as he starts playing a racing game on his phone. "If anyone should be expelled, it's you, that behavior was inexcusable, nobody deserves to be spoken to like that!" 2
"Well, it's a good thing I and most of the staff don't care about what any of you think huh, they view this as practice for you to stand up for yourself and handle criticism from the press, another thing Deku is failing at. So why don't you go fuck yourself Momo," he says while enjoying his mobile game. 23
Momo looks mortified at his statement but can't think of a proper response, so she just sits down and hangs her head in shame, 'I can't even stand up to a bully, how am I supposed to be a hero…' she berates herself. 3
Everyone silently agrees to pretend Horizon doesn't exist, burying any spike of anger caused by his attitude, leaving him to enjoy a few races on his mobile game, the audio connected directly to his visor allowing him to better ignore all their chatter.
A few minutes later the door slides open, and Aizawa immediately spots Iida and Uraraka standing at Deku's desk. "Get to your seats," he mutters, not paying the crying boy any mind. 1
"Sir, we have a serious situation here!" Iida says, causing Aizawa to stop and look at him. "Horizon just verbally abused Izuku, I believe his behavior is unheroic and should be reprimanded," he insists. 8
Aizawa gives him a slow blink and sighs, looking between Horizon who was still playing on his phone, and Deku who was trying to wipe his tears. "Did he hit him?"
"W-what?" Iida asks.
"Did. He. Hit. Him." 3
"Uh, no sir," Iida says. 3
"Then get to your seats and start taking notes, I'm not repeating myself, and I'd like to make this quick to take a nap…" Aizawa turns his back to the class and begins writing on the board. 5
Everyone looks mortified at his non-reaction, and Iida casts an angry glare at Horizon, who actually responds. Letting go of his phone for a moment to give Iida the middle finger, earning more grumbles from his classmates. 11
With a final pat on the shoulder Iida and Uraraka return to their seats, both still occasionally casting glares back at Horizon, Momo and Tokoyami felt disgusted by having to be desk neighbors with him, but he kept playing on his phone until Aizawa began talking.
Opening his book and placing a pen on it, but just leaning back and listening, not writing at all.
"Listen up," Aizawa says in a tired voice, he can feel the animosity between everyone and Horizon but ignores it. "You can call me Aizawa or Eraser Head, I don't really care which, at UA your homeroom teacher decides pretty much everything, we stay with you from day one until graduation, then we get a new class. As you all know the Hero course has a six-day school week, with Sundays off. Before lunch is the regular classes but after lunch is hero classes, the procedure to use the facilities are in the handbook, if you have any questions they should also be in there or you can log in to the school website and search for an answer, be sure to do both those things before asking me…"
Aizawa goes on for almost ten minutes, occasionally glancing over to Horizon, noticing his pen and book hadn't moved once. The boy spent the entire explanation staring out the window at the massive forest outside while all his classmates had their heads down diligently writing.
Eraser shakes his head, 'thinks he's too cool for UA…people like that never last,' he thinks to himself. Something he's seen many times before. 7
"And finally," Eraser says. "This is your homeroom, so unless you need to use other facilities for a lesson your teachers will be coming here to have classes. Keep it clean and tidy, or there will be consequences…" most of the class shudders nervously at that, now knowing that he really does expel students. "Alright, that's all," Eraser says and immediately begins walking toward the door. "Be sure to be ready for your first real day tomorrow…"
While everyone breaks into chatter, excited about finally getting into their dream school, packing their books away in their bags. Horizon places his book and pencil case in his desk and gets up, pushing in his chair and scrolling through a few recipes, deciding what to cook for dinner.
A few people notice something strange about him, finally spotting the odd logo on the back of his blazer. Some faces warp in disgust, others in jealousy, all because he somehow got away with defacing the uniform of their prestigious school.
But a few others were already annoyed, believing to better understand him.
Seeing him walk away with his phone in his hand, and his other hand in his pocket, no bookbag at all, only coming with a single notebook in fact.
Almost everyone rolled their eyes, 'I thought UA wouldn't have those cliche bad boy types,' they thought.
But everyone could agree, even Bakugo, they did not like Horizon, either for how he spoke to their classmates, or how he blatantly looked down on them… 36
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 29: CHAPTER 027(Student Life) 3
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
TAP TAP TAP!
"Hngh?" Horizon wakes up groggily after feeling someone tapping on his visor, lifting his head from the desk and looking around, seeing Present Mic standing over him and everyone in the room staring at him.
Leaning back into his chair he stretches his arms out and cracks his neck before looking to Present Mic, "yeah?"
Mic just looks annoyed at him, arms folded and tapping his foot, "it's the second day of school, you didn't bring your textbook, and you fell asleep in my class. What do you have to say for yourself?" 1
Horizon looks around his homeroom to see everyone else looking at him, each with their English textbook open and writing something from it.
He glances at the board and sees the instructions, page number, and the paragraph they were expected to translate into English.
'Page 73 line 5'
"Right," he speaks in perfect English. " So, 'Roses are the most beautiful flower, but simultaneously are the most dangerous to hold'," he perfectly translates the specific line from the book. 7
Mic freezes, not expecting him to do that at all. "How did–"
"I read the book once in the tub, and English is one of the languages I'm perfectly fluent in," he says, still speaking perfect English. Looking down at his left hand he checks the time and turns to Mic, "lunch is in ten minutes, can I go early to beat the line…I really don't need to be here…"
At this point, everyone is paying attention to the English-speaking duo.
"Uh, sure, just don't get into trouble," Mic says and begins walking back to the board. 2
"Thanks," Horizon gets up without sparing a glance at his classmates, placing his blank book back inside his desk before leaving the room.
'I wonder what Lunch Rush is serving today, everyone always talks about how awesome his food is…' he thinks to himself while walking through the hallways.
Making it to the stairs he casually walks down to the first floor from the third where his class is located, enjoying how empty the halls are.
Arriving at the large cafeteria doors they open automatically, leading into a full-sized food court, no smaller than what would be found in a mall. Tables seating ten people each are set up all about the room with potted plants to break up the monotony of the room.
The wall to his right is one massive line of food with servers manning the stations. In the middle of it all is Lunch Rush himself, dressed in a white chef's hat and outfit, where his head should be is a strange hose leading over his shoulder and into his back.
Horizon decides not to try and peek with his Quirk, simply walking through the cafeteria, noticing some glances thrown his way as the few people there are undoubtedly curious about his visor, but nobody really bats an eye at it. Such things aren't uncommon, and he didn't look that different from his math teacher, Ectoplasm. Although Horizon didn't have the scary teeth or demonic voice. 2
Walking about he takes a look at all the available food and reads some of the menus, deciding to get a simple burger and fries combo, with a mango smoothie. With the paper bag in one hand and smoothie in the other he begins walking briskly back up the stairs. 4
ROOM
His room encompasses the entire building, focusing on his classroom for a moment he feels everyone packing their things as Mic dismisses the class, as he climbs up to the second floor he makes his way to the elevator and sets it to take him to floor 15, the top floor.
As the doors open and he steps onto the top floor, and the bell rings for lunch to begin.
"Just in time," he mutters and follows the 3D map in his had, courtesy of his Quirk. The top floor of their tower only had Nezu's office and a few other things, but what he needed was the far stairwell. 1
Making it to the door he presses down on the handle.
"Locked… of course, students aren't allowed on the roof…" He looks left and right before performing a scan of the floor with his Quirk, sensing Nezu and Yagi in his office but the floor is otherwise empty.
TAKT
He lets go of his smoothie and food, leaving them to float in place. Holding his hand out, palm up, he uses SHAMBLES to summon what looks like metallic throwing cards, sharp edges, white with his blue logo on them. 6
Something he requested along with his hero costume, and thankfully he got his costume a few weeks early, getting himself familiar with every component so he didn't have to substitute them to use SHAMBLES, he could freely summon them to him at will.
Taking one of the ten cards he crouches down and slides it below the door, and into the stairwell.
SHAMBLES
He suddenly finds himself in a dark stairwell, thankful his SCAN made the map for him to follow.
Taking out two more of the cards he holds them out for a moment.
SHAMBLES
They swap with his food and smoothie which he grabs as TAKT deactivated. Holding all his food in one hand he reaches out.
SHAMBLES
All the metallic throwing cards are summoned back to him, he keeps them in his hand until he reaches the top of the stairs, expecting another locked door. 4
Sliding another card beneath the door he repeats the steps, and a moment later he's standing under the mid-day sun, protected from the heat and glare by his visor and body glove.
"Wow," he can't help but mutter, seeing thousands of meters of lush forest, with the occasional massive building scattered about, all owned by UA.
Mapping it with his Quirk was always black and white, closer to echolocation than really seeing things, unless he was standing in the same room he couldn't get a proper visual image of certain things, like Hagakure, even through her invisibility, but even that takes focus. 9
Walking to the edge of the building he places his food down on the wall, hopping up to sit on the wall, his feet hanging over the edge of the fifteen-story building.
He leans forward slightly, seeing students walking about below him entering and exiting the building.
Taking out his burger he begins eating, playing music directly into his visor with his phone.
Eventually, he finishes his burger and moves on to the fries…and that's when he gets some surprising company.
Less than two meters away a small blue bird lands, slowly creeping closer and closer to his fries. 3
"Hmm, hungry?" he asks, mostly himself.
TAKT
One of his fries suddenly floats out of the box and gently rolls toward the bird, which happily begins pecking at it.
'That's cute…' he takes out his phone and holds it over the edge, taking a picture directly down, his feet appearing as if he were standing on air, the fifteen-story drop plain as day.
TAKT
He sets a timer on his phone and carefully floats it behind him, snapping an image of his back. feet still hanging over the edge, all of UA's land in front of him, and a single bird sharing lunch with him. 2
SHAMBLES
His phone appears in his hand and he looks at the picture, 'yeah the public will like this,' he says, taking in the picture, and his logo on the back of his uniform.
He immediately posts it to Horizon's social media account, with his location.
By the time he finishes his meal he checks his phone and can't help but chuckle.
"So Horizon the world traveler had barely a thousand followers, but I post one picture in the UA hero course uniform and I'm already at fifty thousand… this entire world really does worship heroes, fucking pathetic, but I can use it at least," he sighs and lays down. 6
Raising one foot up and leaving the other hanging off the edge, "I wonder what the first Hero Class will be like…" he muses.
–Nezu's Office…
"I don't know Nezu, it's supposed to be random," Yagi says, sitting on a couch with Nezu directly opposite him on another couch, a cup of tea in his hand.
"It will still mostly be random, I just need you to make sure those two are last, that's all. And it's not like it matters who people are matched with at this point since none of them really know each other that well," Nezu says.
"I just rather not lie to students, even a small lie like that."
"I will be there to explain, and I'll take full responsibility for it, you have my word All Might."
"I guess," Yagi takes a sip of his tea. "Hey, could you have a talk with Horizon about the way he speaks to his classmates?"
"Oh, what about?"
"Well Midoriya almost had…well not almost, he definitely had a small panic attack when I went to talk to him yesterday, Horizon said some really hurtful things. And he basically called the entire class pathetic trash, or something like that…pretty sure they all hate him and it's only the second day." 33
"I rather not get involved in the personal affairs of my students," Nezu says. "But I'm sure it will all be cleared up by the end of your class, I'll explain all I can when I arrive."
"Right, well I guess that's something–"
"And I'll have a talk with Horizon later."
"Thank you, I know we usually let students sort out interpersonal issues, but Midoriya needs a bit of extra help right now." 4
"Mhm," Nezu smiles coyly, "remember that promise you made about not playing favorites, more difficult than expected right?"
"I'm not the only one," Yagi says.
"I don't know what–"
PING!
Nezu immediately checks his phone, causing Yagi to raise a brow. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing, Horizon just posted some pictures…apparently he's having lunch on the roof, with a bird, he named it Pell," Nezu excitedly shows Yagi the picture, causing the man to chuckle. 13
"Remind me again who is playing favorites, Principal Nezu…" 6
"Hmph, this proves nothing," Nezu says while saving the picture. "He's simply trying to build a brand before his big debut at the sports festival, he even has a packet ready to send out to media offices, he expects to do well, and will use the sudden flood of people searching for him online to boost his popularity."
"That's pretty genius actually," Yagi admits. "Heroes live and die based on popularity these days, getting a head start is smart. And since most people won't have much to their name it'll basically be him and Todoroki that the public can't get enough of."
"True, the son of the number two hero naturally will get a lot of attention, almost impossible to compete with."
"I'm sure Horizon will manage, you should be more concerned about your successor, he'll struggle in the sports festival if he can't control his Quirk you know, and Horizon won't budge to help." 3
Yagi sighs, "I know… I just don't know what to do…everything always came naturally to me so teaching is difficult." 1
"The curse of having natural heroic talent…well, somewhat natural. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"I will," Yagi says. "But right now, I need to go alter the script to fit your request, then–" his body releases steam as he bulks up, expanding to his full All Might size, 220cm -7ft2-and 263kg -580lbs-of pure muscle. Immediately filling out his usually oversized clothes. "–All Might will have his first class!" he loudly declares. 6
Nezu frantically waves his arms around, "what are you doing! Horizon is on the roof above us!" 1
Yagi's eyes widen as he immediately deflates, a cloud of smoke forming around him for a moment. "Do you think he could sense that?"
"I don't know, but you need to be extra careful until we better understand him, and just like Midoriya you need to be sure not to touch him."
"I already know that, I just hope Midoriya can avoid contact, or somehow tell a convincing story when it eventually happens…"
Luckily for both men, Horizon was already asleep on the roof, taking an after-lunch nap… 17
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 30: CHAPTER 028(1:10000000000) 18
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
Walking into his homeroom ten minutes before lunch ends Horizon notices that he's the last to arrive, at a glance he sees everyone excitedly waiting, itching for their first Hero Basic Training class.
He doesn't give any reaction, simply keeping his hands in his pockets and moving to his seat, walking past Toru, seeing her playing with her hair, Bakugo with his feet up on his desk behind her, and Deku writing something in his battered notebook, quietly mumbling to himself.
Quiet conversations were happening among some students, including Tokoyami who sat to his right talking to Sero, who sits in front of Tokoyami. 2
Horizon takes his seat and leans back in his chair, quietly yawning as he just wakes up. And behind him, Momo is reading over her notes from English class while Todoroki is just staring out the window at nothing beside her. 3
As he's about to nod off into sleep again Tokoyami interrupts, "Horizon, are you awake?"
"Hmm," Horizon sits up and looks over at Tokoyami, seeing both he and Sero looking at him nervously. "Yeah, need something?"
"Sorry man," Sero says, "we honestly could tell because well, you know…" 1
"I get that a lot," Horizon replies. The entire class gets quiet to listen in, not expecting him to be this hospitable to anyone after his first impression yesterday.
"Right, we were just wondering… did you get kicked out of English class earlier?" Sero asks, scratching the back of his neck.
"No, I asked Mic if I could go for lunch early since I'm fluent in English, and he let me go," Horizon shrugs.
"You can speak English!" Kirishima yells in surprise, sitting three seats away.
"Among other languages yes, so I used the time to get ahead of the lunch lines…"
"Very wise," Tokoyami adds. "We were caught in the lunch crowd, even with the size of the cafeteria, it can still get quite crowded, but Lunch Rush's food is worth it."
"Yeah, I don't really like the cafeteria noise so I went up to the roof, by the time you guys were packing your things I was already on the top floor…"
"The roof is off limits to students," Momo says, putting down her book to join the conversation.
"Supposedly yeah, that's why it was locked. Nothing my Quirk couldn't get past, plus it was nice and quiet, and I got to take and post some nice pics too," he shrugs.
"Really! Can we see?" Sero asks.
"I can show you my profile if you want, I've got lots of cool pictures on it from the places I go."
"Sure, what's the profile name?" Sero and a few other curious people take out their phones.
"Horizon."
"Just Horizon?" Tokoyami asks, phone in hand and typing it in.
"It cost me a small fortune to get the original name, but having a trademark helps."
"Your profile picture is the thing on your back…" Sero notices as he begins scrolling, eyes widening as he sees more and more pictures of Horizon all across the world in the past year. "Holy crap."
"Indeed," was all Tokoyami could say as he was also staring at his screen.
"The symbol is my logo, and yeah the last year has been exciting, figured I'd live it up a little before I'm spending six days a week in UA."
"You call yourself a miracle? Seriously?" Jirou spins around in her chair, beside Bakugo, phone in hand on his profile, and casts a disappointed look at Horizon.
"I am a miracle, one in ten billion."
"The world only has nine billion people," she says. 2
"Exactly, but I'm sure all the people I healed would agree I'm a miracle…" 5
"I don't think he has to worry about getting into trouble," Tokoyami says, still scrolling through the profile. "The first comment on his roof picture is 'This view never gets old,'….and it's from Principal Nezu…" 8
Everyone just gives Horizon a confused look and he shrugs in response.
"Oh right," Sero snaps his fingers, causing all the people who were looking at Horizon's profile on their phones to look up. "You mentioned your healing Quirk before right…when you said you're the only person that could heal Midoriya."
"True," Tokoyami adds, "but you also said it allowed you access to the roof. I hope you didn't break the locks then heal yourself after, destruction of school property is a serious offense."
Horizon chuckles, "technically I didn't use the doors, they're still locked. And my Quirk isn't just for healing…but it is the most powerful healing in the world…by an immensely large margin."
"I thought Recovery Girl was the strongest," Tokoyami says.
"The Pope is said to have the most potent healing Quirk," Momo corrects him.
"Both good answers," Horizon says, leaning back in his chair with his back to the window so he can speak to everyone, almost all the eyes in class now focused on him. "Recovery Girl and the Pope have the same Quirk, they force cell activation, the difference is Recovery Girl uses the patients' stamina while the Pope uses his own. This means if someone is seriously hurt the Pope can heal them while she may not be able to heal them entirely at one because the stamina drain would kill them." 3
"Her Quirk can kill you like that?" Sato asks, utter disbelief in his voice.
"Yeah, and the Pope can accidentally kill himself the same way. They're the same but he is better for big injuries on a single person, while hers is better for lots of smaller injuries…the kind of injuries students at UA always have," he nods toward Deku.
"Oh, I get it," Sero says. "So one is a big health potion and the other is like a hundred smaller ones." 8
"Basically," Horizon says. "But the issue is almost all healing Quirks are just variations of this same Quirk, forced cell activation. It causes your cells to divide by adding or directing energy in your body, but like I explained yesterday, this can't heal things like nerve damage so all it does is accelerate the rate at which you would have naturally healed, and since cells can only divide so many times within a lifetime…"
"It's like chipping away your life," Tokoyami says. "A noticeable amount?"
"Unlikely," Horizon says. "But pennies add up to dollars eventually."
"How is your Quirk any different, mister miracle?" Jiro asks mockingly.
"Because, my Quirk is the only one that heals without using cell activation," he says. Raising his hand for them to see his palm, a faint blue glow swirls in the middle of his palm on the white body glove. "I convert my own stamina into energy and use it to heal people, but unlike other Quirks, mine is true healing. I don't activate cells, I give your body temporary cell regeneration…assuming your cells are normal," he adds. Understanding that for someone like Yagi adding brand new cells to join his power stockpiling Quirk would go poorly. 2
Seeing them looking a bit confused he elaborates," basically if you lose an eye or limb Recovery Girl can't fix that, but with me, I can help you grow it back, good as new, that also means no scars," he turns to look at Jiro and she sinks into her chair a bit.
"Does that mean–"
"No you don't have a class medic," he cuts off Sero's train of thought. 3
"Awe… but at least now we have a better idea of why you're acting like that," Sero says.
"Indeed," Tokoyami closes his eyes, trying and failing to look mysterious as he speaks. "Healing Quirks are rare in themselves, the rarest in fact, the most versatile and outright powerful healing Quirk in the world should be nurtured at a place like UA, not enrolling you would be a disservice to mankind as a whole." 3
"True," Horizon says, "but healing Quirks aren't technically the rarest, just second place, the number one spot is usually ignored because a lot of people think they don't even exist."
"What?" Tokoyami asks.
"Warping!" Deku can't help but blurt out, overcome with excitement that overpowers his anxiety and fears, turning to face Tokoyami. "Only around five warping Quirks have ever been discovered but none have ever gone pro, they all either get hired for private work or get recruited by their government, so naturally most people don't think they exist simply because of how rare it is to even see one in action." 5
Deku freezes after his rambling, now noticing all the eyes in the room on him, slowly and stiffly he turns back to face his desk and returns to his hero notes.
"Right," Horizon gestures to Deku, "what he said. But as I said earlier, my Quirk isn't a healing Quirk, it just happens that one of the things I can do is heal…honestly it's like the third thing I discovered," he shrugs.
"Your Quirk has multiple abilities!" Kirishima jumps out of his seat and yells. "No fair! I only have Hardening," he makes a fist and hardens it, causing it to look like a jagged rock. 4
"Life isn't fair, don't be a pussy about it," Horizon shakes his head while most of the class looks disgusted by his words. 5
"Uh, right, sorry I was just surprised," Kirishima chuckles and sits down. Returning his full focus to the conversation, just as everyone else in the room was doing the same thing.
"My abilities put together can perform miracles, that's what I've been doing all my life, and all those places you see me at on my profile are places I went to perform those miracles…for the right price obviously," he chuckles.
"And what do you consider to be a 'miracle' exactly?" Shoji asks from the front of the class.
"Oh, the usual incurable problems," Horizon casually waves his hand in the air as he speaks. "Cancer in the brain, spine, or wherever else it is, shattered spine, blindness, deafness, heart disease, I cured diabetes once but that was a real pain in the ass, took me like twelve hours," he groans at the memory. "And I needed a lot of new tissue to graft onto the Pancreas, but yeah that kind of stuff." 7
Everyone looks both impressed and horrified at how casually he's speaking of these real miracles.
"So you're like a doctor?" Todoroki asks. "But what else can your Quirk do, if healing isn't your only ability? I find it hard to believe a healing Quirk as capable as yours exists, much less having more abilities."
All eyes shift to Todoroki, for most of the class this is the first time they've heard his voice.
"Oh, I could show you if you want," Horizon takes out his stack of metal throwing cards and raises one between his fingers. "C'mon, it'll be fun, I'm just gonna–" 7
"I AM HERE!!!!!!!!" All Might bursts into the room through the front door, causing everyone to begin murmuring in excitement, wearing an older version of his costume with red as the main color and a long flowing cape. 2
'Wow…he's bigger than he looks on TV,' was Horizon's only real thought, not viewing All Might through the same hero-worshiping lens as most of the world. But the hulking 220cm -7ft3-figure was certainly imposing, especially considering All Might had the power and speed that would make him a threat to Horizon.
'I wonder if he's faster than my reaction time…' he ponders as All Might gives a basic breakdown of the class. 8
"Welcome to the most important class at UA High, think of it as heroing 1-0-1, this is where you'll learn the basics of being a pro and what it means to fight in the name of good," All Might says while flexing for the class.
'Fight for the government yeah,' Horizon rolls his eyes at the over-the-top speech, while everyone just eats it up. 1
"Now let's get into it, today's lesson is…BATTLE TRAINING!" All Might announces proudly, causing a small commotion in the class. 1
'Skipping the ethics and regulations and going in for hands-on training, can't say I'm surprised…' Horizon nods and leans back in his chair. 'Well, I'll get to see if anyone here is any fun to slap around at least.'
"But one of the keys to being a hero is, LOOKING GOOD!" All Might opens the shelves in the wall to reveal all the cases. Labeled number 1-20, with the number 19 white instead of silver, Horizon's blue logo pained on the face of it. 1
A loud commotion starts but some eyes glance over to Horizon, finally realizing what was in that case he had on the very first day.
'So he had access to his costume early,' they thought, curious about exactly what it could be.
"Alright, go by your seat numbers and come get your costume, then head to the 1A locker room and get changed, I'll be waiting at training ground beta!" All Might gives them a thumbs up and dazzling smile.
Being number nineteen Horizon is almost the last person to collect his costume, but he doesn't like waiting.
"Time to get dressed I suppose," he grumbles and stands up, before Aoyama -seat 1-could ever get to the shelves. With both hands at his side.
Iida immediately stands up to reprimand him, but All Might beats him to it, "young Horizon, you must wait your turn, patience is essential to being a hero, and you must be courteous to others," he says politely as Horizon is only two steps from his desk. 1
"Uh-huh."
SHAMBLES
Horizon's clothes are swapped out for his hero costume, his uniform stored safely and neatly in the metal case as the pristine three-piece white suit appears on him. White jacket and pants, matching the dress shoes he wears to school. His white Rolex stays on his wrist, a black vest above his blue shirt with a long dark-blue tie. His logo in blue at the back of the white jacket, draped on his shoulder without his arms in the sleeves, kept in place by subtle and clever buttons.
Everyone freezes at the sight. 4
"WARPING!" Half the room, including All Might, yell in surprise, eyes wide in shock. 5
"Warping is one of my other abilities," he stops at Jiro's desk and raises his hand.
SHAMBLES
His Katana appears in his hand, from end to end 145cm -4ft9-almost as tall as Jiro and Asui, but aside from the odd size, his logo along the scabbard and the white colour caught their eyes. 6
Holding the sword at his side he looks down at Jiro, and she could just feel the smug grin behind his black visor. 4
"See, one in ten billion," he begins walking out of the room, not looking back as he says, "I'll be waiting at training ground beta…" 26
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 31: CHAPTER 029(Battle Trial Start)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START– 4
Walking through the dark hallway Horizon eventually enters Training Ground Beta. Sword magnetically attached to his belt, phone in his left hand, and his set of throwing cards in his jacket pocket. 1
'Fast' he thinks as he feels All Might rushing out of the main building and toward him.
He doesn't flinch when the giant of a man appears beside him, making a note that the speed isn't impossible to deal with, but certainly difficult, at least once he already has a ROOM active.
'If he catches me off guard without a ROOM up, I'm dead,' he concludes. Situations like this is exactly why he'd never reveal his ROOM requirement to anyone, not even Nezu. 9
"Young Horizon!" All Might's cheerful voice rings out, the man walks beside Horizon and moves to pat him on the back, but freezes a few inches away.
'Crap, that could have been bad,' All Might thinks. Awkwardly lowering his hand to his side as they continue walking.
'He's avoiding touching me…' Horizon notes, but doesn't react, still just scrolling on his phone. 1
"All Might," he finally greets the man as they exit the tunnel, a fully built concrete jungle, five city blocks by ten city blocks. One of the many massive training grounds at UA, all paid for by Nezu, and constructed by Cementoss, Power Loader, and a small army of drones.
"I assume Nezu knows about the Warping."
"Naturally," Horizon says.
"It is quite incredible, I've never encountered a Warping Quirk before," he admits. "I've only ever heard stories, but they all work by emitting something, either a portal or something else, yours seems to simply be instant."
"It is instant," Horizon says, putting the phone away to look up at All Might as they wait in the training ground, on a street just outside the tunnel entrance. "And undodgeable, once I want something to move, it will move."
"Quite the formidable ability," All Might holds his chin as he takes a proper look at Horizon's hero costume. "A simple white and blue suit, the visor you always wear, and a Katana. I understand the sword, it works well for quick decisive blows since to my knowledge your Quirk doesn't provide any damaging abilities. And considering how much Nezu brags about your combat smarts you'd do well with a simple but versatile weapon, but why the rest of your costume."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, heroes are meant to be inspiring symbols," All Might places his hands at his side and puffs out his chest, cape suddenly bellowing behind him with no wind at all. "Your costume is quite…normal." 6
"I'm not wearing some stupid cape and spandex monkey suit," All Might feels an arrow hit his pride at those words. "Plus my costume serves its purpose, and tells people what I'm all about. I'm all business, no wasting time, just get the job done and move on. Everything from the sword to the colors I chose were picked for very specific reasons, I thought about my costume a lot…" 3
"I see, still think you'd look good in a cape though," All Might nods a few times. "Some of your classmates requested support equipment, do you have any, aside from that life support visor and body glove of course." 4
"Yeah, just the sword and these," he takes out the small stack of cards. "They're a super-durable alloy, and sharp." 1
All Might holds one of the cards, and Horizon notices how careful the man was not to touch him, looking at the white card with Horizon's blue logo on it, noticing how sharp the edges were, "so you plan to use them like shuriken?"
"Something like that," Horizon says, as the card disappears from All Might's hand and rejoins the deck. 3
"Well, I suppose you won't need much to stand out, the worlds' first and only Warping hero is enough to sell you to the public. But I'm sure you realize, Nezu has high expectations of you, and because of this everyone at UA has the same expectations, you've got more eyes on you than everyone else… aside from perhaps young Todoroki."
"Just don't stare, looking at divinity is a bad idea," Horizon turns to face down the tunnel, 'seeing' everyone approaching them. "Only four of them have full masks, and the invisible girl is mostly naked…well, I guess that makes sense," he sighs. 29
Only Sero, Sato, Iida, and Deku had full masks. 2
"You can see them from this far away?"
"It's a bit complicated, don't worry about it."
"Hmm, alright, but why does the mask issue bother you so much, most heroes have public identities these days. Plus, not everyone can hide their identities, like Young Shoji."
"True," Horizon says. "But being a hero means you have a target on your back, the higher the rank the bigger the target. And even if it's a one in one hundred chance, you don't want to be the hero that goes home to find his family killed by some revenge-hungry villain. Protecting your identity is the easiest way to avoid that, and by extension not going to UA, since the sports festival kills any chance of that." 4
"I see," All Might thinks back to his master, Nana Shimura, how she lost her husband to this exact situation, how she had to put her son into an orphanage to protect him, all because she didn't bother to protect her identity. "Honestly that's not something most people think about, I guess the idea of helping people, or whatever else drives heroes to do what they do, it blinds us," he says solemnly. 2
Horizon turns to look up at him, "you sound like you speak from experience."
"It happened to someone I once knew, nearly broke her, but I guess most people just think they'll never be the one in one hundred that's unfortunate enough," he says quietly.
It was odd seeing someone always apparently brimming with positive energy look so vulnerable, but Horizon didn't believe anyone could genuinely be that positive all the time in the first place. "What about you?"
"Huh, what do you mean?"
"Your face is the most famous, have villains ever attacked your family?"
"I don't really have any family, I never did, and I spend so much time on my hero work that it wouldn't really be fair to them," All Might says with a smile, already having made peace with the life he chose, and the fact that he was given away at birth for not having a Quirk. 10
Horizon chuckles darkly at that which catches All Might off guard, "you know, my mom warned me that I could end up like you one day, just another lonely god… and I guess right now I am."
"I'm sorry to hear that…"
A few moments later and the other students arrive, interrupting another quiet conversation between Horizon and All Might.
Both men stop talking and look toward the class, Horizon takes a look at all the costumes, noticing a few that he actually likes..
'So Sero has the best of them, froggy is thematic and effective, and Bakugo's is loud but appropriate… that means the worst one is definitely… Momo, just another pair of tits in a bimbo suit, but not like she needs the money…guess she's a Midnight fan.' 20
He then glances over at Toru, only seeing pair of baby blue gloves and boots. Everything else is exposed to the elements, and subsequently, as the only person who can actively see her, his eyes roam her body. 12
Short white-green hair falling just past her shoulders, with a petite body that's obviously toned with all the right curves, the horny 16 year old part of his brain takes over for a moment before he snaps his eyes back onto All Might. 15
All Might takes a few steps back so everyone can focus on him and begins explaining.
"Today we'll be doing indoor battle training! Statistically, most villain encounters happen indoors, backroom deals, home invasions, secret bases, that kind of thing! Smart villains stay hidden as long as possible, so for this training exercise you'll be split into pairs, one hero team, and one villain team, to have an indoor battle."
"Isn't this a little advanced?" Asui asks.
"I agree," Iida says, raising his hand stiffly. "Wouldn't it be proper to better familiarize ourselves with each other's Quirks before entering such a scenario?"
Horizon groans loudly and rolls his eyes, "don't be such a pussy, villains won't give you time to familiarize yourself with anything, and UA has Recovery Girl, just try not to kill anyone, plus experience is the best teacher, painful lessons are rarely forgotten." 18
"Well said," All Might nods to Horizon, "although you should speak to your classmates a little nicer."
"No." 27
All Might just fake coughs and ignores that, "right, so let's begin."
A flurry of questions is pelted at All Might causing him to wince.
"Alright listen up," he takes out a small booklet and begins reading word for word. "The villains have hidden a nuclear device somewhere in their hideout, the heroes must stop them. To do that you must either use the Capture Tape provided to catch the villains, or recover the device, simply touching the objective will count as removing it. The villains win if they protect the device until the fifteen-minute timer is done, or capture the heroes with Capture Tape." 2
"How will the teams be chosen sir?" Iida asks.
"Teams will be selected before each match by random lots in the control room," All Might says. 1
"But wouldn't it be better to group us by comparative skill for more of a challenge?"
Horizon groans loudly, causing many annoyed glares to shift toward him, "you don't know enough about each other to judge that, and life isn't fair, sometimes you get an opponent out of your league, get over it." 11
"Exactly," All Might says. "Heroes are always at a disadvantage because we have to extra careful while villains can let loose with their Quirks, and sometimes we get placed into situations where we're outmatched or a bad matchup, but heroes always have to pull through in the end! This best simulates that," he adds. 2
"I see, I hadn't thought about this as a proper simulation and only training, my apologies," Iida bows politely to All Might.
"No problem, now follow me to the control room and we'll get this started!"
Everyone walks behind All Might to a building attached to the outer wall of the training grounds.
On the short walk there a few people were mulling over the short briefing, begrudgingly coming to a conclusion that they wish wasn't the case. 'Horizon is a jerk but he definitely knows his stuff, and his Quirk is insane…how do I beat Warping?'
A curious look from Todoroki and the heated glare from Bakugo didn't go unnoticed by anyone.
And as they enter the room, a large room with a massive holographic screen on the far wall, with a guard rail and control panel. A small yellow box resting on the control panel with 'Lots' printed across the front waiting for them.
"Alright, time to decide the first team!" All Might picks up the box and turns to face everyone, digging on hand in and grabbing a ball. Half the class get nervous, not wanting to be the first team, and certainly not wanting to get a bad matchup. And All Might is also nervous. 'C'mon, theirs are different so just make sure you save those for last!' he reminds himself.
Taking out the first ball "four," he reads aloud. "Seat number four."
Iida steps forward.
"You'll be paired with number…seventeen," Bakugo steps forward.
"And the next team is, five," Uraraka steps forward. "Paired with, eighteen," Deku steps forward to stand beside her. 7
"Alright, teams have been decided!" All Might opens a compartment under the control panel and takes out four rolls of thin tape and four earpieces. "These are Capture Tape, each of you get one, wrap it around your opponent and they're out. Each team also gets a pair of these earpieces so you can talk to each other," he hands them out. 2
Everyone puts in their earpiece and stores away their tape.
"You'll also get these," he reaches back into the compartment and takes out two booklets. "We've prepared a few buildings, so each team works with a different map, these are yours, the villains have five minutes to go get set up, then the timer starts, and the heroes wait outside until then."
They all nod and begin moving out.
As Bakugo and Iida are setting up as the villains Deku and Uraraka are chatting outside the building seemingly reviewing the floorplan.
All Might activates the cameras inside for everyone to watch.
"Will we be able to hear them?" Horizon asks.
"Only I can hear them," All Might says. "I have a control earpiece connected to theirs, the surveillance in the building doesn't have audio. I suggest you all take note of how they approach this situation and begin thinking of how to use your Quirk to complete the scenario."
Horizon shakes his head, 'warp to the bomb and touch it if I'm the hero, or just have some fun testing people then touch the bomb…yeah, that sounds a lot more fun, I should let them know what I'm all about…' 2
"START!" All Might announces as the timer begins counting down from fifteen minutes.
'I'll have to make sure Horizon is the villain because of his Quirk,' he decides, forming the same conclusion as Horizon now that Warping was revealed. 'I wonder how Young Todoroki and Yaoyorozu will deal with Warping…' 24
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 32: CHAPTER 030(Power VS Mastery)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START– 8
"So who do you guys think will win?" Kaminari asks nobody in particular.
Horizon glances over at him then turns back to the screen where Deku and Uraraka are still reading the map and strategizing.
"Bakugo and Iida seem like a strong duo," Asui says. "Plus Midoriya hurts himself when he uses his Quirk."
"Yeah but his Quirk is super strong!" Sato adds. "It would probably only take one hit to take one of them down, or both if he gets lucky."
"Or Uraraka could float them into the sky," Shoji says.
"Yeah but she has to touch them," Mina taps her chin, brain working overtime to consider the combatants. "Getting close is a no-no with Bakugo, taking a grenade to the face isn't a good idea."
"It's starting…" All Might says as the timer begins and the heroes enter the building.
'They already failed,' Horizon shakes his head in disappointment, something All Might noticed in the corner of his eye.
ROOM!
He creates a room three hundred meters wide, easily covering the building they were in.
SCAN!
He keeps a constant 3D map of the building and people moving in real time in his mind, lining it up with the five camera feeds on the screen.
Noticing most of the cameras empty he feels Bakugo moving slowly, creeping up on the heroes.
"Sneak attack incoming," Horizon says, causing everyone to look at him confused, including All Might.
"Whaddya mean?" Mina asks.
"Three…two…now."
BOOM!
Deku just barely dodges an explosion to the face.
All eyes are glued to the screen.
"Dude how'd you know that?" Kaminari asks, eyes still glued to the screen but very creeped out. 1
Horizon only shrugs in response.
Watching the fight he ignores his classmates impressed cheers as Deku performs some of the most basic -admittedly sloppy-moves.
Horizon rolls his eyes beneath his visor, not at all impressed, as expected of someone trained by Arsenal, who most combatants consider a close combat monster.
Keeping his mental map up he sees Uraraka begin searching the upper floors for the bomb while Deku and Bakugo play cat and mouse on the second floor.
"Bakugo looks feral," Horizon chuckles as he sees them brawling once more, or more accurately, Deku barely dodging blow after blow.
"His pride is immense," All Might says, "much like yours, but he's much louder about it…"
"Probably because unlike me he can't back up his talk, so he always shouts," Horizon shrugs. "Both these teams are honestly disasters, let's hope something exciting happens…oh…"
They all see Bakugo yelling and aiming his gauntlet, and All Might immediately begins yelling to stop him.
The entire building they're in shakes from the shock of Bakugo's explosion an entire block away.
All Might gives another warning, before the fight continues, and Horizon is again disappointed by what he sees, until he notices something strange.
Bakugo throws another big right hook, and in the moment Deku dodges Horizon puts the pieces together.
Focusing on his map instead of what he sees from the cameras he notices Uraraka dancing around with Iida, constantly keeping herself at the edge of the fifth floor. And looking at it on the cameras it's impossible to tell, but with his map showing the building's five floors stacked he could see Deku constantly leading the fight to the middle of the second floor.
'So neither of them can win 1-on-1, so what's the play if Deku can't get away from Bakugo? If he hits him with his Quirk he also takes himself out and they lose, he needs to help Uraraka…or take out Iida, and he's got the power to do it, oh, I see…'
All the pieces brought together in 0.01 seconds, the monstrous power of a brain developed to handle the information flow from his Quirk.
"Man the heroes don't stand a chance here," Kaminari says, joined by a few others asking All Might to call an end to this brutal beatdown.
"Too bad the villains are meatheads, so the heroes win," Horizon says, suddenly silencing all the requests from his classmates to end the match as they see Deku get pummeled.
"Dude, are you even watching?" Sero asks, looking entirely confused.
"Listen, because I'm only saying this once," Horizon says, even getting All Might's attention as the battle rages on. "Deku is pulling Bakugo to the middle of his floor while Uraraka is trying to bait Iida into the middle of floor five while staying at the edges. Heroes can't win 1-on-1 or in a team battle, they need a 2-on-1. But with a few floors between them, the only way to do that is…" he gestures for anyone to fill in the rest.
And everyone stares at him looking confused.
"Ugh," he sighs. "The cripple boy needs to punch the ceiling below Iida, if he hits Bakguo, even if he manages not to kill him it takes both of them out and Uraraka loses her fight, so they lose. Take out Iida or the floor below his feet and she can jump across and touch the bomb, easy win," he shrugs.
They all stare at him as if he's lost his mind.
"They've been lining it up since the first time she tried to touch the bomb," he says. "The one good thing about Deku is that he knows how worthless he is, so at least he'll focus on the objective victory instead of a combat win…"
He earns a dozen glares with that last statement, 'even when he's given a compliment he's a total dick…' they all thought. 11
A couple of minutes later and the observation room is silent as it plays out exactly as predicted.
And everyone slowly turns to stare at Horizon in horror. "Told ya…I should have taken bets," he chuckles as All Might rushes off with two medical drones to collect the students. Horizon turns back to the screen, seeing Deku being loaded onto a stretcher, "honestly he did nothing right and somehow won, but at least it was a bit amusing…" 4
"You know if you weren't such a jerk you'd be pretty cool," Asui bluntly says. 3
"Yeah, and how did you even know their plan anyway?" Jiro asks, voicing the question that everyone wanted to ask.
"I just considered the battlefield, Quirks, mentalities, and all the information I already had," Horizon shrugs as if it were nothing special. "It helps that meatheads are predictable…"
'So much for recommended students supposedly being the top,' Momo glances between Horizon and Todoroki, who was also staring at him with a focused expression.
Todoroki considered all his classmates during the Quirk apprehension test, and not one of them seemed like any competition, until today. 'Healing, Warping, and he's some kind of genius strategist, I need to be careful oh my surroundings, and be cautious of any other abilities he may have…' he turns away from Horizon and sees All Might entering the room with Uraraka, Bakugo, and Iida. 1
As everyone gets settled All Might names Iida the MVP and asks for anything people noticed during the review session. And everyone immediately turns to Horizon.
"Figure it out yourselves," was all he said, dismissing them.
Momo scoffs and raises her hand, volunteering and giving a decent breakdown of the battle, and standing across from her Bakugo has his head down, feeling his ego get more and more crushed with each word she says.
"Horizon, since you were able to predict every action in the match–" this gets Bakugo, Iida, and Uraraka staring at him bewildered, "is there anything you'd like to add?" All Might asks.
"Not really."
"Oh, because she said everything, or because you didn't spot anything that she didn't? I honestly expected that genius brain of yours to have noticed something…" All Might challenges with a wide grin. 1
'He's playing on my ego…but if I just answer this one I can get them off my back for the other matches, and it'd be good for them to just know I'm better and not question me in the future…' 3
Horizon grumbles and turns to him, "I know what you're doing, trying to play on my ego…and I'll only allow it this once, then they can figure out everything in the other matches, got it?" 3
"Great!" All Might gives a joyous thumbs up.
"Alright," Horizon sighs. "Let's start with the villains. Honestly, most of what you did was correct," most of the class, including Bakugo, look surprised at that. "With Bakugo's Quirk, a 2-v-2 fight is out of the question since Iida is melee, that's just asking for friendly fire since none of us are familiar with each other yet. And he can't be in the bomb room since his Quirk would just set it off.
Sending him out to deal with the heroes makes the most sense, especially considering he's the fastest person in the fight."
Iida immediately raises his hand to correct that but Horizon cuts him off, speaking directly to him.
"Consider your Quirk, Engine. High top speed but shit at cornering, in a five-story building full of narrow hallways and a cramped stairwell to the top where the bomb is. Compared to that Bakugo is good at cornering and can fly, meaning he can just hop out a window, fly to the top floor and get back inside, outpacing everyone.
That's what he should have done the moment Uraraka got away and Deku got a bit hurt, then you capture her and wait for Deku, easily winning, but he got tunnel vision and overcommitted."
"I see," Iida and everyone else nods along, understanding what Horizon meant, while Bakugo just feels his ego get ripped apart more and more.
"Like I said, the villain did everything aside from not regrouping right," he shrugs. "The heroes on the other hand," he turns to Uraraka. "You two failed literally the moment you step inside."
"What?" she asks, looking confused and ashamed.
"Use your head, your Quirk is making things and people float, yet you entered through a window on the first floor. The bomb will obviously be at the furthest point from the entrance which is the top floor, just float either both or one of you up a few floors to get the drop on them, would have been perfect in this case since Bakugo was already down on floor three when the timer began."
"Oh…" she looks down at her feet, ashamed that she didn't think of that.
"Aside from the lack of any thought toward the verticality of the battlefield from both teams, the heroes clearly look up to a certain meathead too much," he looks directly at all might, causing the man to nervously freeze. 1
"What do you mean?" All Might asks.
Horizon sighs, "what I mean is, you get away with being just one big veiny bicep because the difference in power between you and the people you fight is so vast, they didn't have that advantage, and even if they did they shouldn't try to deal with everything head on, because the one time they can't overpower the enemy they will suffer for it, its a terrible habit." 3
Horizon turns back to the class as he continues. "If you try to just duel every enemy eventually you'll lose. Use the uniqueness of your Quirk to your advantage in any situation you can, basically what I'm saying is find a way to cheat. Instead of just focusing on brute power, focus on mastery." 1
"That's the difference between people like All Might and Endeavour," Todoroki flinches at those words. 2
"All Might has an insane amount of power, if you try to replicate that you will fail, and it will cost you. Endeavor doesn't have that, so in exchange he makes up for it by being what I consider the only person in the world with perfect Quirk Mastery. Master your Quirk and utilize it to give yourselves every advantage, at least before it comes down to some brawl, and if brawling is all you do, then you'd better be really damn smart about it, got it."
Everyone nods along.
"Good, your job is to be quick and efficient, not look good for the cameras, so less All Might, more Endeavor," Todoroki flinches again, balling his fists at his sides. "Aside from that, well, the heroes were pretty much trash at everything else too, they were overmatched, and Deku still has to break himself to use his Quirk because he's pathetic so there's that too, the only person who actually deserves a win here was Iida, the rest of you need to get your shit together." 5
"Excellent points," All Might says. "But again, it wouldn't kill you to be a bit nicer." 4
"Well I've never done it before, so it could," Horizon shrugs, "best not to take the chance…" 16
All Might sighs and announces the next match…
After three more matches, each ending with Horizon not contributing anything to the review, near falling asleep with how bored he was at the simple battles.
"Time for the final match!" All Might says. "Only four people are left, so let's see how they'll be paired up," he said, already knowing what teams Nezu chose.
Horizon, Todoroki, Momo, and Ojiro, those were the final four. 5
"The teams will be, Horizon and Ojiro as the villains, and that leaves Todoroki and Yaoyorozu as the heroes," he gives everyone the basic items, Capture Tape and earpieces.
Horizon places the earpiece in a small compartment at the side of his visor and syncs to it, only taking a glance at the map before handing it to Ojiro and walking away.
"Finally I get to do something…" he says while stretching his arms out to wake himself up. Placing one of his metal throwing cards face down on the control panel he turns and leaves the room, Ojiro a few steps behind him still reading the map. 7
All four students leave the control room to prepare, and everyone in the control room waits with bated breath for the most exciting match to begin… 10
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 33: Cross Posting on Scribble Hub for PC users 5
Yeah I'm Cross-Posting on Scribble Hub for PC users, that's all, currently uploading everything there and here. 3
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Chapter 34: CHAPTER 031(Nezu's Bet) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Walking to the designated building Ojiro and Horizon are side by side in the middle of the street, only two hundred meters away from the control room. 2
Arriving in front of the six-story building Horizon enters without saying a world while Ojiro is still looking at the map in his hand. 2
"Do you know where you're going?" Ojiro asks.
"Ofcourse."
"But I'm the one with the map," he says as they effortlessly find the stairs.
"I took a look at it, so I'm fine without it."
"Oh…ok. Do you have a plan? Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are recommended students so we should be ready for anything."
Horizon stops as they reach the third floor, slowly turns and looks Ojiro up and down, then shakes his head and continues walking up the stairs.
"Uh–"
"Why are you barefoot?" Horizon asks.
"Well, this is traditional," Ojiro pats his Karate Gi. "I'm aiming to be a martial arts hero, so I figured–"
"That you'd fight villains with no protection as a melee fighter, with a Quirk that's basically having a stick attached to your back…genius," he rolls his eyes beneath the visor. 1
"Hey, it's prehensile too, so I can grab stuff." 6
"The only thing you're gonna grab is some frostbite when Todoroki decides to ice the building, if you can avoid that then just make yourself useful somehow," Horizon sighs as they reach the top floor with the bomb. "Honestly a quirkless guy with a bat is better than you in this situation, assuming he's wearing shoes." 15
Ojiro suddenly looks like a kicked puppy as they enter the bomb room.
Seeing the bomb in the middle of the room and a few crates scattered about Horizon just moves one of the empty crates in front of the bomb and takes a seat, leaning back against the bomb and waiting for All Might.
"The five-minute timer starts now, use this time to carefully prepare!" All MIght announces in their ears.
"Uh, so should we–"
"Figure out the ice problem then talk to me…" 4
A moment later Ojiro sees Horizon wave at a blank wall, but decides not to question it. Turning his back to Horizon and taking a ready stance facing the door to this room.
–Minutes Earlier…
Moments after the last four students left the room four people entered.
"Deku!" Uraraka cheered as she saw her friend, with his arm in a sling and bandages all over his body. Accompanied by Aizawa, Recover Girl, and on Aizawa's shoulder, Principal Nezu.
"Hello students," Nezu happily greets them with an adorable wave as Deku moves to join Uraraka.
Everyone is surprised by the new additions but gladly welcomes them.
"So, All Might, what have I missed?" Nezu asks.
"They just left the room, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki are the heroes with Horizon and Ojiro as the villains, just as you requested."
"REQUESTED?!" all the students yell in surprise.
"Right, well I suppose I should explain," Nezu makes the 'pick up' motion and All Might lifts him onto his left shoulder. "While all the other matches were random, I had this one planned out from the beginning, All Might was against this dishonest tactic but I persuaded him." 1
Nezu taps All Might's head, and the man simply takes out his earpiece and hands it to Nezu, who seemingly attaches it to his phone and amplifies the volume of it for all to hear, everyone then turns to look at the screen as he continues.
"Before I explain, I should say that I owe all of you an apology, the students I mean. So I'm sorry for any awful thing Horizon has said to you, and I take full responsibility for them," these words cause everyone to stare in surprise, this was the last thing they expected.
"I brought Horizon to UA knowing fully well that he would be like this, he is someone who only respects merit, and he isn't afraid to speak his mind when anyone doesn't meet his standard, the same standard he holds himself to. 3
This attitude isn't uncommon at all, especially not among pro heroes, that's why many pros will only work with people of a certain rank. But because of that, it's hardly ever as apparent as Horizon's. This is mainly because he is someone that has proven himself capable enough to be among Japan's top ten pro heroes," everyone, including All Might, looks both amazed and horrified at that revelation. 6
And Bakugo feels like the earth would open and swallow him at any moment, because how else could he sink any lower than this? 1
"A top ten pro?!" a dozen people yell out.
Nezu nods politely, "yes, he entered UA based on his own merit. Not only is he a licensed doctor, likely the best in the world, but he's also a top-level combatant. Horizon is exceptional, even among the current pros, but due to the laws he has to graduate a hero course to get his license," he says.
It takes a moment for everyone, including the teachers to process exactly what he just said, even All Might didn't know any more than him being a miracle doctor until today.
"But what does that have to do with this match?" Eraser asks, as everyone else was just staring at the screen and listening to Horizon and Ojiro talk while walking up the stairs, trying to make sense of all this.
"That's actually Quite simple, I need Yaoyorozu to realize that Todoroki isn't invincible like she imagines. She, like most of the student body, views recommended students above everyone else. But not herself, only Todoroki as he is at the top of this year's recommended students. If she sees that he too can make mistakes then suddenly what she imagines as an impossible distance between them won't be such a hindrance anymore. 1
For Todoroki, I need him to realize that he isn't invincible, he needs to be humbled before a villain does it instead.
For Ojiro, I need him to realize that he cannot just accept himself as he is now. He must try to be more than he already is, or he'll never improve, and he is also a test for Horizon."
All Might raises a brow at that, "how is his teammate a test for him?"
"Because, as capable as Horizon is, his mind is also terrifyingly bright, by human standards at least," he chuckles grimly. "I know he will be a great leader of heroes in the future, and this is his first test into that, and if during his time at UA his spirit becomes more heroic, then I would have been right to bet on him, All Might, to replace you…" 10
"What?" Eraser asks, not believing what he's hearing, after all, he's met Horizon. "You think he can be–"
"Yes!" Nezu says excitedly. "If all goes well, he will be out next Symbol Of Peace!" 6
All Might tries to keep a smile on, but from the corner of his eye he sees Deku one step away from breaking into a full sobbing mess. Hearing Nezu, one of the few people who knows about One For All declare someone else as the next All Might completely broke his heart, and All Might would need to have a talk with Nezu about this later. 33
And in the far back of the room, Bakugo's entire mind went blank, staring into nothing as the world seemed to get blurred. Heart pounding in his ears, breathing becoming shallow, mouth drying up. For a moment he felt rage building up, his palm aching to blast something, anything, until all the fight drained out of him and they just hung limply at his sides, staring at the screen with all the fight knocked out of him, just like Deku was. 4
The other students had no delusions about their futures, they smiled and happily chattered for a moment, excited and amazed to have someone like that in their class. And some -mainly Kirishima and Sato-were excited to train with Horizon. 4
"That explains why you're playing favorites," Eraser says.
"I'm doing no such thing," Nezu says, and All Might, Eraser, and Recovery girl just shake their heads at the bold lie. "In fact, this matchup is tailored to be the most difficult possible for him, from the students present at their current level that is."
"Hmm," Eraser thinks for a moment. "Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are versatile and powerful, plus they have more training than anyone other than Horizon…but if he's as good as you claim, he's probably best in the school, by a pretty large margin…"
"He is," Nezu says confidently, causing Deku and Bakugo to feel a pit in their stomachs. "And honestly, I'm basing all of this on the information I have, I still don't even know what his Quirk actually does," Nezu cackles wildly at the idea. 2
"What?!" Eraser is equal parts horrified and pissed at the confession. "What if it's dangerous."
"Oh yes, the only abilities I know about are his Healing, Warping, and some strange ghost bullets…"
'Ghost bullets!' all the students imagined a gun firing little bedsheet ghosts at people, some suppressing a chuckle at the idea and others feeling creeped out. 1
"Look at this," Nezu says, then waves at the screen. And on the screen, Horizon turns his head toward their direction, staring at a blank wall, and waves back. "See, I don't even know how that works." 7
"That's still creepy," All Might says. 1
Everyone nods in agreement.
"I'm hoping that this matchup can draw out some of the abilities he's been hiding from me," Nezu says. "They have the highest chance of giving him a challenge, so this is the best bet…for now. It won't take long until all of you are capable of fighting with the best of them," he gestures to the other students, earning wide grins from them. 7
"This is gonna be awesome!" Mina cheers loudly, immediately joined by Uraraka, all swept up in the excitement as Deku and Bakugo just stand at the back of the crowd, feeling the immense pressure of a new rival.
Everyone begins theorizing what his Quirk is and how the battle will go, meanwhile two of the unsuspecting pawns approach the battlefield…
A moment later Todoroki and Momo are standing at the entrance, and Nezu turns the volume all the way up so everyone in the room can clearly hear.
"For your own safety, wait outside," Todoroki says, and places a single hand on the outside of the building.
A thick layer of ice begins spreading out, moving around the outside and inside of the building, creeping up floor by floor all the way to the top. 1
Todoroki exhales and it comes out as frost mist, and Yaoyorozu takes a few steps back in amazement.
As Todoroki enters the building the entire control room is silent, surprised by this display of power. If not for what Nezu said earlier, they were sure this would be the strongest student in their class.
Deku and Bakugo felt nothing, already numb to the sensation of being outclassed for today, now they were just watching with blank stares.
"Well, I guess that's that," Momo sighs, not surprised by how capable her fellow recommended student was, but a bit sad that she didn't get to do anything.
"He froze them to the building!" Sato yells, noticing Ojiro trying to move his feet, and Horizon now standing in front of the bomb with his feet also frozen to the floor.
"Is it over already?" Hagakure asks, not seeing Horizon or Ojiro breaking out.
"If you move your feet it'll rip off your skin," Horizon tells Ojiro, and the students listening in wince as he stops moving immediately. "This is why you need shoes, moron." 5
CRACK!
He uses the scabbard of his sword to shatter the ice and free himself, taking a step back to sit on the crate and simply wait for Shoto. 1
BOOSTER SHOT!
Beneath his pants and shoes, even beneath his body glove, the near-frozen skin is immediately healed.
'Cold, as expected… and he perfectly froze the building, not bad,' Horizon thinks as he sees Ojiro trying to keep his balance.
"Horizon broke out!" Kirishima cheers, clenching a fist in excitement, but quickly gets confused as he sees Horizon just return to his seat. "Hey! Why isn't he helping his teammate?!"
"Because he doesn't care," Eraser explains, glaring daggers at the screen, a deep scowl on his face. "He views Ojiro as useless in this situation, not surprising considering how he spoke earlier…too selfish to be a hero." 1
"Agreed," Nezu says, still beaming with pride much to the annoyance of Eraser. "That's why he's in UA, to build his heroic spirit, and I'm sure as everyone grows he will see their capabilities and grow to respect them all." 10
As Shoto begins climbing the stairs Eraser continues, "heroes should at least have a base level of compassion for people, especially their teammates, BEFORE they're allowed entry into UA," he says with a touch of venom in his voice. 5
All Might and everyone else nods in agreement, but Nezu just chuckles. "I agree, but while UA only accepts people who can largely be considered prodigies, that includes all of you," he sees some students looking up at him with stars in their eyes. "We also realize that sometimes heroes aren't born, they have to be built, and that is what UA is best at, right All Might?"
All Might stiffens at that, and Deku swallows dryly, obviously knowing what Nezu was referring to, their inherited Quirk. "Right, I completely agree," All Might says. "It's not about where you are now, it's about where you can be if given the chance, and at UA, you've got until graduation to become your best self and enter the world." 2
"Look it's happening!" Kaminari excitedly points at the screen, causing Eraser and Nezu to get quiet for a moment.
Shoto enters the frozen room, glancing around with an indifferent expression, he sees Ojiro frozen to the floor, as expected, but he turns to fully face Horizon, seeing him sitting on a crate as if this wasn't a battle, perfectly relaxed. 1
Glancing down he notices the broken ice, "you broke the ice, but if you don't want to get frozen again, just get out of the way."
"Really?" Horizon casually takes out one of his throwing cards, playing with it between the fingers of his left hand, sword in his right.
Shoto takes a battle stance, right foot forward and ready to unleash more ice. "Don't do anything, just surrender."
Horizon chuckles, "oh, this is gonna be fun, go ahead, try it…"
CRCHHH!
A sudden torrent of ice fires at Horizon, Shoto took no chances at all, thick blue ice freezing half the room into a massive ice cube and causing a layer of thin mist to block their vision for a moment.
"Huh?" Shoto and everyone else look completely confused and horrified at what they see, frozen in Horizon's place is Momo, already hugging herself, exposed costume providing no protection, skin already becoming pale and frozen, almost up to her chest stuck in ice, and the bomb behind her completely untouched.
"T-Todoroki?" she asks through shivering lips, completely bewildered.
"He can warp people," Todoroki says, instantly realizing that Horizon was more dangerous than he realized.
SHAMBLES!
Momo disappears, collapsing to the ground on the road outside. In her place, the simple throwing card.
'Now is my chance!' Todoroki rushes forward, and before he can even take one step.
SHAMBLES!
He's suddenly standing beside Momo, looking around frantically for any surprise attacks.
"His Warping is instant and irresistible, I didn't even feel anything," he properly assesses. "Keep your eyes peeled for him to appear behind us." 3
Standing back in the bomb room Horizon collects his card by warping it back into his hand, then draws his sword.
Without turning his head he aims down to his right side.
INJECTION SHOT!
INJECTION SHOT!
INJECTION SHOT!
INJECTION SHOT!
INJECTION SHOT!
"Argh!" Todoroki screams in agony as he feels five bullets hit him, ripping through the building, his clothes, and the street below him, one in each limb and another in his left shoulder.
Ojiro looks both confused and terrified as he sees the bullet holes appear in the floor.
"Todoroki!" Momo forces herself up, limbs still numb as she looks down at Shoto. "He…he shot you?" she asks confused. Seeing the holes on both sides of his uniform and in the road, but his skin was untouched. "I don't understand…"
Back in the bomb room Horizon turns and begins walking to the far wall, toward the street. And with a wide swing of his sword.
AMPUTATE!
CRASH!
The entire building is divided diagonally, with the face of it being cut off and sliding down toward the street.
"Move!" Shoto grits out to Momo, seeing the face of the building, three stories of concrete sliding down toward them, and a massive slash mark in the road just in front of them.
Horizon raises a single finger and flicks it upward to point at the sky.
TAKT! 1
The falling section suddenly begins floating, causing everyone to stare in surprise. These last two abilities were news even to Nezu, something that nobody missed with the way his mouth was agape.
Horizon puts his sword away and walks to the edge of the building, the newly made balcony as it would seem, all while the cut-off section was now floating a few meters above the roof, directly above Shoto and Momo.
Horizon looks down at them, and they could feel the judgment behind his visor, "so…surrender? Or I could drop it," he gestures to the building hovering above them.
Shoto glares daggers at him, but Momo doesn't hesitate to take the initiative, "we surrender!" she doesn't even put up a fight, something that would haunt her for quite a while. 4
"The villain team wins!" All Might announces stiffly.
"Well…those abilities are new," Nezu chuckles darkly, earning another set of glares from Eraser while everyone just takes in the destruction on screen. 2
The top recommended student was crushed, the second place left helpless, and a large section of the building was held aloft in the air by nothing…
'Tch, damn it Nezu,' All Might feels conflicted at what this means, thankful to have Horizon, but certainly not expecting his doctor to be such intense competition for his chosen successor, 'this was supposed to be Izuku's year…where the hell did you find this thing!' 30
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 35: CHAPTER 032(Battle Reviews)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
SHAMBLES!
Horizon appears back in the control room, standing beside All Might as he swaps places with the card he left there earlier. 2
All the students take a cautious step back in surprise as he reaches out and summons the card back into his hand.
"Well, that was boring," he shrugs. "Can I go home now?"
"You still have to review the battles after this," Eraser says. "Hero Course ends at five, as you know."
"Hey I can dream," he takes a few steps away from All Might then turns to face everyone. "So, did you three come just to see me?"
"Exactly," Nezu says. "But first, could you please deal with that," he gestures to the screen.
All eyes snap back to the screen to see Momo dragging Shoto from beneath the building hovering above them, and Ojiro still frozen in place.
"Sure," Horizon raises a hand and gestures to the left with his pointer finger, and the floating building does exactly that, suddenly jerking to the left and shattering as it hits the road. "Done."
"And can you bring them here?" Eraser asks.
"They can manage without me."
"Horizon," Nezu says.
Horizon sighs, "ugh, fine," he takes out three cards and throws them to the floor. 3
SHAMBLES!
Momo, Shoto, and Ojiro swap places with the cards. Recovery Girl immediately moves to heal them, ignoring their confused and surprised expressions.
Horizon once again Warps the cards back to him, placing all ten back into his jacket pocket.
"So, why did you come here?" he asks Nezu, looking up at the mouse that was still on All Might's shoulder.
Everyone just remains silent, carefully listening to every word.
"I came to see you in action," Nezu says. "So…telekinesis and what, air slashes?" 1
"No and no," Horizon says.
"Will you explain or are these more abilities you intend to keep secret?"
Horizon shrugs, "I tell the world what to do, and it obeys, because it knows better, that's all." 31
Everyone sweatdrops at that response, but somehow at this point, they weren't that surprised.
"Well then, good job today everyone!" All Might loudly announces, feeling his time about to run out. "I'll now entrust you all to Aizawa for more in-depth reviews. But allow this experience to expand your views, no matter how strong you believe yourself to be, there will always be competition, I know this was a serious eye opener for some of you," he sees both Shoto staring daggers at Horizon while Bakugo looks heartbroken.
"Even you, Young Horizon," he absentmindedly pats Horizon on the back, then holds his shoulder as he continues. "This is only the second day, if you don't take things seriously you'll find yourself struggling to even keep up with these young and talented heroes in training," All Might smiles brightly at everyone, seeing many of their faces light up at his words. 13
Until he looks at Deku, a completely mortified look on his face, then he sees a look of disappointment on Aizawa and Recovery Girl as they just shake their head at him.
'Hmm, what's going on?' he wonders, until Nezu taps his shoulder and whispers something in his ear.
All Might immediately freezes, then looks down at Horizon, not realizing that he was still holding the young man's shoulder, and Horizon…he was staring at exactly where Yagi's injury was. 3
'SHIT! The jig is up!' All Might's smile quivers for a moment as Nezu gives Horizon a subtle nod and they both turn back to the class. 8
Horizon sets the revelation aside for now as the class is sent to get cleaned up and return to their homeroom for reviews.
While everyone goes to the locker room he heads back to the homeroom. But before splitting off he hears them excitedly chattering about the final match, and he overhears a bit of what Nezu told them about him.
'So they know he's betting on me…that changes nothing,' he decides before taking out one of his cards, seeing the UA main building in the distance, and his classmates walking a dozen meters ahead.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps places with the book he left on his desk, appearing sitting on his desk as it falls to the lawn outside.
SHAMBLES!
The book reappears, another item he was completely attuned to for moments like these.
Taking his seat he leans his sword against the window and gets comfortable as he waits for everyone else.
SHAMBLES!
His hero costume swaps back for his uniform, as if it never left him, thankfully he'd basically done nothing but stand around since class began.
Back in the control room the moment the students left Yagi instantly deflated, a small cloud of smoke appearing around him as Nezu hops across to Aizawa's shoulder.
"Well at least I don't have to worry about him sensing me anymore when I transform," he tries to find a bright side to this, only getting unamused looks from everyone.
"You couldn't go one class without messing up?" Recovery Girl asks. "Honestly it's a wonder you became the world's best hero…" 4
"Do we need to worry about him running his mouth?" Eraser asks. "Him being Yagi's doctor is one thing, but All Might is an actual big deal, this story is worth a fortune."
"Horizon certainly doesn't need the money," Nezu waves away his worries. "And more importantly, he'd never break an agreement, that includes patient-doctor confidentiality. All Might is safe, but we will have to speak with him after school to clear up some things."
"Yeah, I figured as much," Yagi says, holding up his now baggy hero costume as it hangs off his frame. "But did you seriously have to hype him up that much in front of the students Nezu?"
"I simply spoke the truth All Might, and it provided context that I'm sure he never would have volunteered."
"And where did you find this kid anyway?" Eraser asks. "Warping, Healing, and whatever else he has, I know you said you found him to heal All Might, but he's trained, very very very well trained. Were his parents pros?" 6
"I don't really see how that's relevant," Nezu dodges the question. "What matters is that he's here now and it is our duty to help him become a great hero, now that you've all seen what he can do I hope you all support me in that endeavor."
"I still don't like that he didn't take any entrance exams," Eraser grumbles, "but I see why he got to skip them. Now I need to go to class before they get caught up in the post-battle excitement…" 3
"Right, thank you Aizawa," All Might politely nods as the man leaves with Nezu on his shoulder, then turns back to the screen, seeing all the destruction caused today. "And I should call Cementoss and tell him about this."
"Mhm," Recovery girl agrees. "I don't suppose you two could convince Horizon to help out at the infirmary could you, it'd be nice having an extra pair of hands…especially if that boy of yours is going to keep breaking his bones every day," she says with a bit a venom.
"Uh, I've already got one conversation with Horizon that I'm sure he won't be pleasant during later today. If I ask him to do something like that…well, I'll mention it to Nezu at least," All Might says.
"Oh, I asked you because lord knows everyone here looks up to you, does the All Might charm not work on him?" she asks cheekily.
"Honestly it has the complete opposite effect I think, he only really respects Nezu… even today he called me 'meathead' a few times, and I'm his teacher," he sighs and rubs the back of his head.
"But you are a meathead." 12
"Ugh…not you too…" Yagi sulks as Recovery Girl just giggles quietly…
A few minutes later and Iida is the first to arrive, walking beside Deku and Sato, they pause for a moment at the front door to the class, seeing Horizon leaning back in his chair playing a game on his phone.
He'd already received a message from Nezu to speak later, so for now he was just putting the big reveal of All Might being sick aside.
While most people would panic, especially his classmates, he didn't really care.
'Not my body, not my problem,' he summarises, the thought of revealing this secret never entering his mind as Yagi was still his patient.
"Hey Horizon," Sato waves politely while walking to his seat, at the back of the second column. "Nice work out there today," he gives a thumbs up.
"You too," Horizon's words cause both Deku and Iida to freeze, not expecting any kind of compliment. "Guess you're a wrestling fan…"
He recalls Sato's basic but effective wrestling moves used to subdue Shoji earlier.
Sato blushes and rubs the back of his head, not used to compliments, "thanks man, means a lot coming from the next Symbol of Peace."
Deku's heart aches at those words, another nail being hammered in to tell him how far he'd have to go, and how much further ahead his competition already was. 5
"What?" Horizon pauses his game and turns to face Sato.
The rest of the class walks in as Sato explains.
"Oh, during your match Principal Nezu gave this big speech, said you're pretty much guaranteed to be the next number one hero…and said you're already good enough for the top ten, he said some other things too but I can't really remember, sorry."
"Oh, he revealed that," was all Horizon said, surprising everyone as he turned back to his phone.
"So it is true," Shoto steps out of the crowd and begins walking to Horizon as everyone gets to their seats, the entire class silent and listening in.
"He's a big dreamer," Horizon shrugs, not looking up at Shoto.
"And you aren't?"
"Meh," Horizon shrugs. "Don't really care for crap like that, being a hero is just a job, you people can kill each other for the top spot as far as I care…" 1
Everyone is shocked, yet again.
Their minds couldn't comprehend it. 1
Here was someone that the smartest being in the world declared as the next Symbol Of Peace…and he didn't want it, what they were sweating and bleeding for, and he didn't even care.
Shoto just glares down at him, Horizon still just playing a game on his phone, "good, because the number one spot is mine, and I won't lose to anyone, not even you."
"Unless I wake up one day and decide to take it," Horizon chuckles. "Really isn't anything you can do to stop me, you do kinda suck, remember?" 18
"Get to your seats," Eraser enters the room, breaking up the tension.
As everyone gets seated and he gets ready to teach some odd glances are thrown about, the moment of calm lets the thoughts get properly realized in all their minds.
'He thinks Todoroki is weak?' Momo wonders, staring blankly at the back of Horizon's head. 3
Deku looks down at his bandaged arm, still in the sling, and frowns. 'I thought Kaachan was the biggest problem, but Todoroki is stronger than him…and Horizon is so far beyond that, why did All Might even choose me when people like them exist?' 41
Bakugo was blankly staring forward, his body and mind idly flowing through the motions as it tries to put itself back together. 1
In a word, today had been 'humbling' for him. Expectations and reality clash. Most of his classmates were exactly as expected, weaker than him. But first Deku is able to actually compete, and even win. Then Todoroki freezes an entire building with minimal effort.
And then there was Horizon… the thought made him feel the throw-up and cry all at once. 7
He clenched his fist at the memory, 'that damn rat thinks he'll be the best, better than anyone, better than me? And he's so strong, and he's a genius from what Shitty Hair told me…how am I supposed to beat that?' 3
"Alright, let's get this class started," Eraser taps the board, and the pairs they were grouped in before appear listed. "This session is all about reviewing everything that happened, but let's get the standout performances out of the way first."
Most of the class stiffens up at that, expecting some harsh punishment as a result of poor performance.
"First off, this is the start of your real hero training, I expect constant improvement from this point onward, that goes double for you," he looks directly at Deku. "I took a look at the recording, you've got a good head on your shoulders, if you master that Quirk then you'll be a useful and versatile hero in the future."
Deku manages to smile, finally feeling like he got a win today. 1
"The next standout is Bakugo, you didn't work with your teammate and let your emotions cost you the victory. Terrible. Focus on building some discipline or what would have been easy wins will keep evading you."
Bakugo just stares down at his desk, somehow going from the look of a kicked puppy to a completely beat-up puppy. 2
"Todoroki," Eraser throws his gaze to the back of the class, this confuses everyone as Shoto seemingly performed fine. "You're confident in your abilities, clearly. But this world is a big place, and today you were matched against someone clearly stronger than you. I doubt it would have mattered in the end, but you would have had a better chance had you not disregarded what Yaoyorouzu could have added, if you didn't take the lead and sideline her. Your confidence is not unfounded, but leaping into unknown situations with no backup is stupid, even for the strongest heroes."
Shoto just nods and glances over at Horizon, 'so even Aizawa thinks we couldn't have won?' was all he heard, was all many people heard.
"And I saved the worst of all for last, you," he looks directly at Horizon, surprising everyone.
Horizon doesn't react, still leaning back in his chair and paying attention. 1
"You not only disregarded what your ally could add, but you didn't both to help free him from the ice at all. Helping your allies is the absolute basics, yet somehow you didn't know that," Aizawa glares slightly before composing himself. "Not to mention I can tell when someone isn't trying, and you weren't even half-assing it, that would be a lot more effort than whatever you did out there. UA is for people willing to put everything they have into being a hero, have some respect for your classmates, and at least try, it's literally the least you should do." 10
"Got it," Horizon says, no intention to ever stress himself about any of this. 15
"Right, now onto the main reviews…"
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 36: CHAPTER 033(Making Friends) 11
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"Alright, see you all tomorrow," Eraser finally wraps up class, the sun already setting on the horizon as everyone begins packing their bags. 2
Horizon just places his blank book and pencil case in his desk and checks his phone.
'5 Minutes,' Nezu's text says. And he can feel Yagi still in the teacher's lounge reading something. 1
Focusing on Nezu he feels him talking to Recovery Girl over a cup of tea in his office, and decides not to interrupt.
Bakugo is the first to leave, sulking away with a blank expression, and Deku immediately leaves his items and rushes out of the room to talk to him. 13
Horizon only shakes his head and leans back, closing his eyes, trying to enjoy a few minutes of peace as everyone leaves.
"Horizon," Tokoyami interrupts his 'me time', "sorry to bother you but aren't you leaving? I assumed you would have warped away the moment Aizawa dismissed us."
Horizon looks to his right to see Tokoyami sitting on his desk, Sero at his desk in front of Tokoyami, turned in his seat to face Horizon, and in front of him, Momo and Jiro are talking quietly at Jiro's desk.
"Normally I would, but Nezu wants to talk to me in a few minutes, probably about the new abilities I showed and some other stuff," he shrugs.
"Makes sense," Sero taps his chin and nods along. "Telekinesis and Air Slashes, pretty strong on their own but you've got both, I'm sure he wants to know more about them."
"And in addition to your Warp and Heal, I can certainly understand why he has such faith in you," Tokoyami adds.
"Don't forget the Ghost Bullets," Jiro adds, causing both girls to join the conversation.
"Yes those are quite dangerous, but Recovery Girl couldn't understand how they worked," Momo says. "Atleast when Todoroki and I went to the infirmary before getting changed."
"I assumed they were just Air Bullets," Jiro says.
Horizon laughs, "Air Bullets is a really pathetic Quirk in comparison, mine are a lot more hard-hitting, but less versatile, they can't be used to push objects or people around, only damage." 1
"And they aren't air," Momo says. "They tore through layers of concrete but when they hit Todoroki it didn't break the skin, destroying his clothes and the floor behind him, but never broke the skin, very odd."
"Honestly most of my abilities are scarier if you know how they actually work," Horizon shrugs. "But until my big debut at the sports festival, I'll be keeping everything close to the vest. I don't like the idea of people knowing what I can do, but heroes have to be marketable to be successful, and the public gets more invested if they can actually understand what you're doing, that's why signature moves exist."
"I didn't even think about that," Jiro says. "But its not like you have to do much, Warp alone would be enough to get every pro in the world sending you offers."
"Indeed," Momo solemnly nods along. "A near-mythic status Quirk, and to think it's only one of your abilities."
This particular phrase causes Shoji to turn around, bag slung across his shoulder as he approaches the group. "I have a question."
"Uh-huh," Horizon looks up at him.
"What's the name of your Quirk, or Quirks, I'd imagine it has to be something cool, mine is Dupli-Arms, it lets me duplicate any body part on the end of my extra arm tentacles, and they're an enhanced version of my usual set," Shoji creates a second mouth at the end of a tentacle and smiles at them with it. 1
"Any body part?" Horizon says with a curious tone, causing Shoji to groan.
"Yes, even that…" 9
"Ahh, the ladies must love you," he chuckles, but everyone else in the conversation just blushes.
"Somehow that's always the first thing people think about," Shoji mutters. 6
"It's literally human nature, if we can't fight it, fuck it, or feed on it, we don't really care about it, our kids are the only exception… atleast for sane people." 9
Momo cringes at the thought and his crass language, "then I suppose we should all introduce our Quirks, my Quirk is Creation, it allows me to create any non-living thing from the lipids in my body, I can essentially transform my body fat into items," she says with a proud smile.
"That's awesome!" Sero cheers. "So you can make gold and just get super rich!"
"She's already super rich," Horizon says. "She's a Yaoyorozu…"
Momo freezes, not expecting this to surface so soon. Forcing herself to smile she continues, "well yes, my family is rather comfortable, but I also cannot use my Quirk in such a manner. The restrictions because of its nature are numerous, including banning me from making certain items like firearms and precious gems and minerals, as well as currency. I also have to know the molecular composition of anything I'm making."
"The most versatile Quirk in the world," Horizon says. "When we were watching the Quirk test in his office I told Nezu that nobody here could match me, but you're one of the only people in the world that could make a plan that I can't predict, because basically anything in the world can be in your pocket." 3
Momo blushes deeply, but a moment later she's crushed by even more expectations placed on her, atop the mountain of pressure that comes with being a Recommended Student and proving that you deserve your spot, now the potential future Symbol Of Peace is complimenting her potential.
Jiro gives her a pat on the back and begins talking to distract everyone, "my Quirk is Earphone Jack, basically, my earlobes are Aux cords, I can plug them in to listen to music or amplify my heartbeat with them to attack, they're also tougher than store bought jacks, oh, and I can extend them," she extends one all the way to the ceiling and taps it before recalling it. 2
"Hmm, I didn't expect the heartbeat thing, not too strong on their own but since they work with technology you can make up for that, at least they're cute," Horizon says.
Jiro fights through the blush, "uh, thank you," she twirls one on her finger. "And yeah my boots in my hero costume act as speakers and amps."
"Smart, can I touch one?" Horizon asks plainly. 1
"Um, you want to touch one?" she's surprised at how blunt he is.
"That's what I said yeah."
"Right…sure," she extends one out to him, about a meter away until he reaches out and touches it, holding it carefully in his hand.
SCAN
He immediately gets a full breakdown of her body, he can even tell that she had rice and curry for lunch. But what really gets his attention are the extra bones in her ears and dense layers of cartilage that make up her Earphone Jacks, hidden beneath a layer of soft skin.
He also senses the many extra bones in her ears to better differentiate sounds, and finally, the nerve clusters that point out the tips of her jacks as erogenous areas. 4
He seemingly absentmindedly begins playing with the jack, gently touching the nerve clusters at the end of it while turning to Sero, "so, Tape?" he asks. All while Jiro is frozen in embarrassment and panic, never having someone else, especially a boy play with her jacks, and not knowing how to handle the situation. 14
"Yeah, I can just shoot tape from my elbows," Sero shrugs. "It's pretty simple but there's this guy in America, Web Slinger, his Quirk is similar and he's in their top ten, so I've been trying to follow his lead." 8
"Is it just one type of tape?" Tokoyami asks, now pulling all attention to him.
"Nah, I can make a bunch of types, but the stronger the tape the more it drains out of me, and the more I use the more water it takes from my body. If I use too much I get really dry skin," Sero explains.
"Web Slinger, that's the guy who swings around New York," Horizon says. "But he's also got super strength and a few other things, but I suppose you could try to make up for it with versatility." 7
"That's the plan," Sero grins happily.
"I suppose I'm next," Tokoyami says, being the next person in the circle before Horizon. "This is Dark Shadow," a birdlike shadow demon creature appears from his belly. Dark purple and seemingly having the same pattern as static on a TV.
"Hi everyone!" Dark Shadow cutely greets them, currently only as big as a small dog. 2
"Can I?" Horizon raises his right hand, asking permission to touch him, all the while still playing with Jiro's jack in his left. Glancing at her through the corner of his eye he could see her nervously sweating, standing a bit behind Momo and out of the circle, eyes glazed over and staring at him. 22
"Go ahead," Tokoyami says, and Dark Shadow bows its head.
He reaches out and pets it, and Sero does the same.
SCAN 1
Pure energy made physical, he could sense everything within Tokoyami as well, including four apples. But what made him very curious and excited was the cells in his belly, seemingly constantly producing the same energy as Dark Shadow, but very fragile against other energy types, with no other information it could have taken him hours to solve. 2
But the name Dark Shadow and its appearance was a dead giveaway as to what energy it was weak against.
"Looks cool," Horizon says, pulling his hand away as Dark Shadow blushes. "So what does it do?" 6
"Well, I can extend him a fair distance to fight for me, and some basic shapeshifting, nothing too crazy yet, he can also think independently or with my influence," Tokoyami says.
"Versatile and it looks cool, you'll definitely stand out," Sero says.
"Assuming you can solve the issues with it," Horizon draws all eyes back onto him, his voice becoming a bit more serious. "The obvious weakness is one thing, support items can fix that," he sees Tokoyami's eyes widen in worry. "Don't worry I won't tell anyone, honestly I had it figured out since the Quirk Test. But your mastery level is around the weakest in the class, right down there with Todoroki and a few others." 10
Tokoyami nods, "improving my Quirk is one of the main reasons I'm here, I'll be sure to consider your advice about support equipment as well," he retracts Dark Shadow.
"Power vs Mastery huh," Shoji says. "You explained that earlier and I didn't quite get it, but now I kinda do. With Dark Shadow, it's more about how he uses it rather than just sending him out to box, right?"
"Exactly," Horizons says. "Basic enhancer Quirks are easy to gauge because you can put a number to how good they are, how much they can lift or throw, that kind of thing. But with Quirks like all of ours, we need to be more tactful with how we use them, and some Quirks require both."
"I see, and what exactly is your Quirk?" Momo asks, still oblivious to Jiro's predicament behind her as he continues playing with the jack. 4
"My Quirk is called Hand Of God, I've got a lot of abilities but the potential is boundless, only limited by time, experience, discipline, and energy," he shrugs. 1
They all stare at him before Sero shakes his head and speaks, "that's such a lame name man…" 2
"It's meant to be descriptive," Horizon says.
"Name aside, what exactly does it do? Like how does a Quirk that can 'potentially do anything' even work, or exist?" Tokoyami asks.
"It's actually a lot more simple and complicated in certain regards than what I explained just now," Horizon admits. "All you need to know are the abilities it gives me, those slashes, healing, the warping, the bullets, what you call telekinesis, and a few other things," he shrugs.
"There are more?" Momo asks, a mix of surprise and fear in her voice.
"Yeah," he says casually, fully aware of how insane this sounds, but used to it. "Honestly each of my abilities is equivalent to a Super Move from a Pro, I don't even know what an intentional Super Move for my Quirk would look like." 6
"Damn, I knew competition at UA would be tough but this is insane," Sero says.
"That's a matter of perspective," Horizon says, dropping Jiro's Jack which instantly retracts to the flustered girl, now covered in a thin layer of glistening sweat with her face beet red. 14
She stared at him with a mix and embarrassment and anger. Forced to bite her tongue to prevent further embarrassment but also wanted to yell at him, partly for what he presumably unknowingly did, and partly because he stopped just before the finale, leaving her panties drenched and body hot with no proper payoff. 56
Horizon just glances at her beneath his visor, an amused look on his face as he sees how flustered he made her, like putty in his hand. 'Too easy,' he thinks to himself.
"I figured you were over that whole phase man," Sero says. "You seem pretty chill today compared to yesterday when you were just calling us worthless."
"Not worthless," Horizon says. "Just not competition when compared to me, I don't have a problem with people in general once they can stay in their lane. I just really don't like when my time is wasted, or when people who are objectively trash think they can stand beside me…like Deku. I came to UA expecting everyone to have the most basic level of competence, honestly, he should quit and let someone from general studies take his place, rather than waste time that can be used to train a useful hero…" 4
"Isn't that a bit harsh?" Momo asks.
"Well the bare minimum for any sort of emergency service member is to be an asset, not another liability, if the first thing you do is hurt yourself, you're certainly not an asset." 2
They all frowned, but nobody tried to argue against that logic, they were all here to be heroes, people that the public could depend on during a crisis, not people who needed to be saved like everyone else.
"I see," Tokoyami nods along. "While I don't entirely disagree, everyone has the right to chase their dreams, and since he's already made it this far there must be potential in him that our teachers recognize." The others nod along, but Horizon doesn't react, and Jiro finally catches her breath. 1
"Well I don't really believe in potential, I believe in what you can do. I doubt civilians will accept 'I just needed a bit more training, I have the potential to save those people next time' as an excuse." 11
Everyone looks a bit sad at that example, another situation that they couldn't argue against.
"Well enough about such dreary things," Tokoyami looks past Horizon, leaning slightly to the side to see his sword. "May I try out your sword?" 1
"You like swords?"
"Everyone likes swords," and everyone nods in agreement. 12
"You know, Nezu told me not to hand it to just anyone, especially anyone untrained, since it's a bit special, but pain is a good teacher," he reaches out toward Tokoyami and warps it into his hand. "Just don't do anything too bloody, I can heal you but I can't get rid of bloodstains easily." 1
"Thank you," Tokoyami reaches out and holds it, and the moment Horizon lets go the end of the scabbard hits the floor. "Heavier than the replicas I have at home…" he says.
Now with someone of more average size sitting beside it, the sword was taller than the seated Tokoyami. Measuring in at 145cm -4ft10-, it was suddenly very apparent that the only reason they hadn't properly realized how big it was is because of Horizon's large 193cm -6ft3.5-size.
"It's almost as tall as me," Jiro -154cm, 5ft-mutters as Tokoyami carefully lifts it. 6
"It needed to be bigger to fit all the Tungsten and Carbon Fibre into it," Horizon says. "Average katanas weigh about two and a half kilograms -5lbs-with the scabbard. This one is nearly three times that. I needed the durability because it's meant for any close encounters with Power Type villains. Can't have my sword breaking against their skin after all, and if I ever have to block instead of just warping away I'd like it to not shatter. Power Loader is a genius at support items so it only took him like a few hours to make it, he also made my visor," he reaches up and taps his visor.
Tokoyami carefully unsheathes it, revealing the pristine white blade with a blue edge, "is everything blue and white with you?" 1
"That's part of the Horizon brand," he shrugs.
"Your Quirk must provide some sort of Super Strength then, if you can use this without getting tired, right?" Momo asks.
"Not really…a byproduct of my Quirk is that I have enhanced physical attributes…nothing that would count as 'super' in any way, just better than most. It's also why I'm so tall, I mean Shoji is tall and he's a Mutant type so it makes a lot more sense than me in some ways, and I'm taller than him," he shrugs. 6
"Wait a minute!" Sero puts his hands up, causing everyone to stare at him. "Your Quirk…is super powerful, rare, versatile, and makes you tall and buff–"
"I work out a lot to build muscle."
"Man…life really does pick favorites, the girls are gonna be all over you," he groans in annoyance and jealousy.
"UA is just one big gym for hero course students so we'll all have people wanting us, plus we'll be celebrities to the public. I mean literally all the girls in our class are hot," Momo and Jiro both blush at that. 3
"Yeah you're right," Seo says. "But you've still got a lot more going for you than most."
"Don't forget super rich," Horizon adds. "Miracle Surgeries cost a lot, and I work for the highest bidder, it adds up, and being good-looking is just a bonus." 2
"I hate you," Sero mutters jokingly. 1
Horizon just chuckles, "it's not that you're bad, I'm just perfect…" 15
For some reason, nobody could make an argument against that.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Horizon's phone alerts him to a text, and glancing down at it for a moment he sighs.
"Time to go see Nezu, I'll see you guys tomorrow."
SHAMBLES
He disappears from his seat, replaced with an inconspicuous pen.
"Huh?" Jiro and Sero stare at it for a moment before it's replaced with one of his cards, then both that and his sword disappear.
"I'll never get used to that," Sero says. "But man is it cool, just being able to disappear whenever you want like that…" 2
"It certainly is enviable," Tokoyami says. "Warping alone is enough for entire nations to fight over him, adding everything else is simply stacking the deck even further."
"It's no surprise they wanted him in UA so badly," Shoji says. "That power is too dangerous to be just out there independently, it's like giving someone a button that prints money and asking them not to use it…uh," he looks at Momo awkwardly.
"It's quite fine, I understand," she says. "The Yaoyorozu's were among the first heroes in Japan, and the first Hero Agency in this county, because of that we've always had exceptional Quirks, and although we haven't had a hero among us in over a century, I too can see how my Quirk would be too great a temptation for most, even myself had I not been fortunate enough to be born into our financial situation." 2
Sero laughs, "yeah, if I had that Quirk back in middle school I'd get to buy all the candy and games I wanted!"
"Eat a pizza and make a bar of gold," Jiro nods in agreement. "Definitely too much temptation for anyone that isn't a hero." 5
"Hmm, wait a minute," Sero put on his thinking face. "If she turns food into items, then isn't her Quirk just fancy poop?" 40
And the last thing he sees is Jiro's jack flying toward him… 5
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
Fun Fact, this conversation was supposed to be the first section of the chapter…but I have no self-control, and the friend group was influenced by a pat.reon pollwhere Law sits in classShoji is cool :) 3
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Chapter 37: CHAPTER 034(Fading Symbol, Paradigm Shift)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START– 6
Suddenly appearing beside Nezu on one of the couches in the principal office, Horizon closes his ROOM and relaxes. He leans his sword against the wall, placing one of his throwing cards on the coffee table.
"I should leave this here if I'm gonna be in here often," he says.
Recovery Girl and Yagi sit opposite them, and the woman just shakes her head. "I've always imagined warping Quirks as these great mythical abilities…but yours is rather abrupt and annoying."
"But more effective in combat than having to make a portal," Horizon says. "So, aside from you two who else knows about All Might," he gestures to Yagi, back in an oversized suit. "I'm guessing Eraser since he saw him deflate after we left."
"So you really can sense that," Yagi taps his chin in thought before getting back to the topic. "All the UA staff knows, we're trying to keep it private, that includes the other students."
"Yeah, villains would go wild if they knew you couldn't kick ass like you used to," Horizon says. "Well you're still my patient so this doesn't change anything…if anything this is just annoying me even more, because now I know for sure that I extended your life just for you to exert yourself and undo my work…wasting my time…"
"For the record, I've been trying to get him to retire for the past few years," Recovery Girl says, "but Toshinori has muscles for brains."
"Yeah, I noticed," Horizon grumbles.
And the proud number 1 hero just sits there feeling small as both his doctors cut him down.
"So I assume whoever did that is gone now, right?" Horizon asks, gesturing to Yagi's injury. "I'm surprised you could be hurt that badly, must have been one hell of a fight."
"It was, and yes the villain is gone now, I made sure of it," a bit of rage bubbles up in Yagi's voice before it disappears. 10
"I see," the room falls silent as Horizon thinks for a moment. "Well this doesn't change anything, but at least now I better understand why Yagi was so valuable to Nezu, and why you're so desperate for a new Symbol Of Peace."
"Not desperate," Nezu says. "We still have years of time, and there are many people I could have supported, but you were the most logical choice, even under the questionable circumstances," he says, trying not to give Recovery Girl and Yagi too many hints.
"I still don't see it, but whatever, are we done here? Honestly, it's only the second day at UA and it already feels like I've been here a week…" 3
"I'd just like to go over some of the new developments with your Quirk," Nezu says, Recovery Girl and Yagi begin moving to exit. "Have a good evening you two."
They both turn and give a polite nod before leaving, leaving only Nezu and Horizon in the room.
"So, Telekinesis?" Nezu asks.
"Close enough."
"Air Slashes?"
"Not really but sure."
"And the ghost bullets?"
"Self-explanatory, right?"
"Not at all, but they're invisible and undetectable, very dangerous in the hands of someone with lethal intent."
"I'll take your word for it," Horizon chuckles. 2
Nezu sighs and shakes his head. "You know you'll have to give proper explanations for your big debut right, for marketability and all that."
"I know, but until then let's just say I rather keep it mysterious," Horizon shrugs. "Honestly when I explain what I can do nobody sane or smart will want to fight me, but the dramatic reveal will get a lot of views and make me even more famous." 8
"And slingshot you ahead of your peers on the path to being a top hero…"
"Mhm," Horizon nods. "Now, can we wrap this up, I wanna go get food and head home."
"One last thing, are you sure the situation with All Might doesn't change anything between us?" Nezu asks, caution in his voice, but already predicting a certain answer.
"Changes nothing," Horizon says. "I still don't renegotiate contracts, but if anything this makes it a lot stronger."
"How so?"
"Well…now I know how badly you need me to step up as some great hero…and if you ever stab me in the back, I also know for sure the only person who had any chance of stopping me from turning Japan into rubble and ash, already has a foot in the grave. And you know I know this so you'll stay in line." 8
Nezu doesn't react, perfectly predicting this response, "I see, well that's good to hear, especially since I intend to honor our deal fully."
"Good, now if that's all…"
"It is, I'll see you tomorrow, I hope you've been enjoying your time at UA."
"It's pretty boring, but the people aren't that bad, but I've had enough of it for today." 4
"Mhm, and about your harsh words to Midoriya yesterday?" Nezu asks flatly.
"You gonna give me a 'play nice' talk?"
"No, I know you already understood the potential repercussions, not that there are any, but if you went any further–"
"I wouldn't tell him to kill himself…in school." 12
Nezu sighs and shakes his head, "do try to recall you're training to be a hero."
"So is he, so he can either be a pussy and quit, or just get over it…" 12
SHAMBLES
–5 Minutes Earlier…
Wearing his UA uniform with his right arm bandaged up, Izuku rushes out of the main building, as always, desperate to catch up to Bakugo.
"Kacchan!" He calls out, and Bakugo stops just in front of the main UA gate, not turning around to face Izuku. "Wait, there's something I need to tell you!" 6
Bakugo just silently stands there, back still facing Izuku, not bothering to respond.
"I-it's about my Quirk–" Izuku immediately freezes, questioning exactly what he was about to do.
'But I promised All Might I wouldn't tell him, tell anyone. But it's Kacchan, we've been friends for a long time, and I can tell it's killing him inside that he thinks I kept this from him. He thinks I was just mocking him by pretending to be Quirkless…but will he even believe me, I barely believed All Might, and he's All Might…' 21
"The truth is," he finally musters the courage to continue, determined to explain the situation to Bakugo. "My Quirk was–"
"I don't care Deku," Bakugo looks back at him over his shoulder, and Izuku can see tears flowing down his face, a mix of rage and sadness on his face. 5
"Kacchan?" he mutters, not sure what he was even seeing, his symbol of victory looked so helpless, like he needed saving. 11
"I don't care about your Quirk, or you…I can't," Bakugo says surprisingly quietly, as if this is the first time he's admitting it to himself. "I failed at everything today, I lost to you of all people, then Ponytail and Glass Face tore me apart in the review…and I agreed with them." 5
"Kac–"
"Then I saw them fight," he spits bitterly, now turning to face Izuku. "I knew I couldn't beat Icy-Hot from his first move! Then that fucking Glass Face had to go and crush him! And he's the worst one! Heroes are supposed to give their all no matter what, and the real hero will always win! But he doesn't even try…so why did he win?!" 13
He wipes his tears with his sleeve and Izuku just stands helpless.
"But I knew I couldn't win, I couldn't even beat you, how the hell am I supposed to fight them?! So I don't care about your Quirk, or why you're here…if I only focus on you I'll never beat them, I'll never be the best! So I'm done with you, Deku…" he mutters his name quietly and turns around, wiping his tears one more time. 23
Bakugo grips his shirt and declares proudly, "I'll work ten times as hard, I'll keep giving it everything I have! I'll beat Icy-Hot, and even Glass Face… I'll be the best hero!" he desperately pants, trying to catch his breath. And in a smaller, tired voice, he ends the conversation. "And every second I spend thinking about you, they get further ahead…so just stay out of my way…" 13
Bakugo leaves Izuku frozen in place, unable to say a single word as his mind still can't process what happened. 5
Watching Bakugo walk away Izuku looks down at his bandaged hand, seeing the tears falling from his eyes onto it.
"Kacchan, you really think you can't win?" he mutters to himself. "Then what am I supposed to do, he gave me this power and I can't even use it properly, I had to break myself to barely get past you." 4
Izuku looks up, glancing around the walkway to the main UA building, seeing all the statues of UA's founders lining both sides of the path, then looks up at the intimidating building, the learning ground for All Might, Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and dozens of other top pros.
"An entire campus of people more worthy than me to have this power All Might…you should have chosen one of them…"
He blinks a few times, a dangerous idea popping into his mind. With some hesitation he reaches up to touch his hair, remembering how All Might passed One For All onto him only a month ago. 4
"One For All should belong to the next Symbol Of Peace…Horizon…" 64
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 38: CHAPTER 035(The Man Who Has Everything) 5
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Standing on the beach Izuku watches the stars in the sky, enjoying the sound of gentle waves crashing and spotting a few people walking along what was a dump site, now a lovely beach thanks to all his hard work.
He looks sad and uncertain, but his expression brightens as a voice calls out from behind him.
"Young Midoriya!" he turns to see Yagi approaching him. "Sorry I had you waiting, there was a situation nearby that needed my help. Plus since we can't talk on campus because of Horizon this was the only option to meet in person." 1
"Oh, it's ok…I needed the time to think anyway," he says, both men now facing each other.
Yagi raises a brow at the contemplative look on Izuku's face, "everything ok kid?"
"Actually, All Might, I don't think everything is," he looks down at his feet, worrying Yagi.
"Well, spit it out, whatever it is I'm sure we'll figure it out together."
"That's the problem, today… after seeing how hurt Kacchan was, thinking I'd kept this secret from him for ten years, I went to go tell him." 4
"Oh crap, did you tell him?!" Yagi seemed more scared than upset, knowing Izuku isn't the type to brag about things.
"No, I tried, but he interrupted me," Izuku sighs and looks up at Yagi, tears flowing down his face. "He said that, that he didn't want anything to do with me, that he had to focus on Todoroki and Horizon…that even he couldn't beat them. That every second he spends thinking about me they just get further ahead…" 13
"I see," Yagi raises a finger to his chin. "A completely focused mind can accomplish great things, his mindset isn't wrong, but it can be dangerous if taken to extreme levels."
"Yeah, but that's not what I called you all the way here for."
"Oh, you didn't want me to go talk to Young Bakugo?"
"No, it's about something he said," Yagi quietly waits as Izuku carefully chooses his words. "He said that Horizon was so far beyond him…and since he's already so far ahead of me, I don't even know what that makes me. Not to mention Principal Nezu thinks he'll be the next you, the future Symbol Of Peace…what I'm trying to say is," he takes a deep breath and bows. "I'm sorry! But I've decided to give him One for All." 4
Izuku expects disappointment, or to get hit, but all that happens is Yagi mutters out a , "ah, I see."
He looks up startled to see a sympathetic look on Yagi's face. "What? You aren't mad about me wanting to give away your Quirk?"
"It's not my Quirk any more kid, it's yours, and I can't stop you from giving it away if that's what you really want to do, and it sounds like you've already made up your mind." 2
"I have, I just think he'll be able to help a lot more people than me with One For All." 3
"You're right," Yagi nods in agreement, and Izuku feels whatever little piece of him that was hoping his hero would argue with him get crushed. "Horizon is undoubtedly talented, I'd even say peerless and that's considering most pros. Say, want to hear about the first time I met him?" he asks oddly cheerfully, ignoring Izuku's watery eyes.
"Uh-I–"
"Great," Yagi cuts him off. "It was -as of yesterday-exactly one year ago. I know I only told you about him yesterday when school began but I've known him for a while."
Izuku stares in surprise.
"He's the reason I can stay in my muscular form for so long, and help so many people, a real living miracle…and I thought that before I even knew he could fight," he chuckles. "See, I don't think I've ever met someone like him, good at everything, powerful Quirk, genius mind, near perfect training from what I've seen, and he has the confidence to always speak his mind, he's a perfect hero…" 2
"Yeah," Izuku mutters, "that's why I'm giving him One For All."
"Well…almost perfect," Yagi adds, causing Izuku to look up in surprise. "What? You thought if he was actually perfect, and I met him before you, that you would have still gotten One For All, c'mon kid, you're supposed to be smart, you must have realized there was a reason, right?" 5
Izuku retreats into his mind for a moment, comparing himself to Horizon. But in the end he just shakes his head and feels worse than before, "I can't think of anything I'm better at than him."
"That's the point of One For All," Yagi says. "You don't have to be born powerful, or talented, you've got the strength of all the previous users, all the previous heroes. No matter who gets One For All they will have the power of a top pro, and since it enhances any existing Quirk in the user, I'm sure Horizon's Quirk -whatever it is-would become near almighty. He'd likely save so many people that history will forget about me completely, he's just that capable after all." 7
"Yeah that's what I figured too, but why didn't you give it to him?"
"Because, while One For All can give you the power of a great hero, it can't give you the heroic spirit needed, and the desire to become a great hero," Yagi places a massive hand on Izuku's shoulder. "I saw that heroic spirit in you, stronger than I've ever seen in anyone, including myself. When you master One For All you'll have all the power I did, and with your spirit, I can trust you to stay on the righteous path no matter what life throws at you, that's why I chose you." 10
"Really?" Izuku asks, fighting the tears and clearly about to lose. 2
"Yup, Horizon has everything, a perfect life, and is a perfectly capable person, but you've got the heroic spirit I was looking for," Yagi gives a dazzling smile. 13
Izuku breaks down into ugly sobs, causing Yagi to frown. "Seriously kid you need to get your waterworks under control…" 12
"Sorry," he wipes his face a few times with his sleeves. "I just can't believe you'd think that about me, I figured anyone at UA would be heroic enough."
Yagi chuckles at that idea, "Young Midoryia, you'll soon learn that for many people this is a job, and in Horizon's case, it's not even a job he wanted," Izuku looks surprised at that. "I don't know the details but Nezu worked attending UA into whatever deal they made, that's the only reason he's there…see, he was never any competition for One For All. So of course I'd bet on you to be the next Symbol Of peace." 4
After he composes himself Izuku smiles at Yagi, "that's exactly what I needed to hear, thank you." 1
"Don't sweat it kid, honestly the fact that you always put others above yourself is what makes you so heroic, but it clouds your vision when you try to objectively compare yourself with your peers, get that under control along with your Quirk and you'll see how fair the playing field is." 2
"Really, even with Todoroki and Horizon?" Izuku doesn't look convinced, and the way Yagi awkwardly rubs the back of his neck doesn't make him feel better. 4
"Well, Todoroki sure, but warping is just plain unfair, he's the only warping hero in the world too so he'll surely be more popular at the start. You've got a lot of work to do to catch up to him, but the moment you make One For All your own, you'll be neck and neck with your other classmates." 12
Izuku clenches his bandaged fist, already healed to the point of not feeling pain from it, then looks up at Yagi, "I'll catch up, and I'll be a great hero. I'll save a lot of people, just like you…" 10
"Now that's what I wanna hear!" Yagi ruffles his hair before pulling him into a hug. 'You've got a lot more work ahead of you than even I can imagine, if all the supercomputers in Nezu's brain say betting on Horizon is the right move…then your spirit is in for one hell of a journey Young Midoriya…' 12
–Matani Estate…
PFF!
Law's MMA gloves smash into the heavy bag, drenched in sweat, shirtless, and wearing only a pair of shorts and shoes, he continues his evening workout. 4
The stars are high above the ocean, offering an incredible view through the wall of windows in his gym.
PFF!
Another barrage of punches with pristine form.
"Booster Shot," he mutters, and a surge of healing energy permeates his body, not finding anything to heal it enhances what is already there.
BAM!
His strong right slams into the heavy bag, with so much force that the four hundred pound -181kg-bag swings and nearly becomes parallel to the ground, then the top of the bag rips, and it goes flying for a few meters away. A clear tear in the leather where his gloves connected. 1
"Fuck, another one," he mutters while feeling his extremely temporary enhanced strength rapidly fade as the bag skids to a stop a few meters away. He looks down to see sand already leaking out of the bag. "I'll pick up a new one tomorrow, should get one that power types use anyway…" he mutters while walking away, taking off his gloves.
Whilst Booster Shot was energy intensive and extremely short-lived, it did allow him to increase his strength a respectable amount, still, nothing compared to what actual power types like Sato could unleash. At best it allowed him to unleash three times his base strength, while Sato has an x5 increase in strength at a minimum for three whole minutes from one activation of his Sugar Rush Quirk. Horizon only has x3 increase for a few seconds at best, and that's after none stop training this past year. Barely any increase at all from what it previously was.
Only good for one clean hit, otherwise it simply wasn't economical to use stamina for it.
"Not like I enjoy brawling anyway, but Booster Shot really needs improvement," he mutters while considering how weak his enhancement is compared to the rest of his classmates, mainly Sato and Kirishima. 5
After getting cleaned up he's sitting in his massive kitchen at the counter. The entire open floor of his living and entertainment area was furnished, seemingly full of life, a perfect family home built at his request.
But it was cold, and empty. And the man who has everything, the perfect life, the perfect Quirk, the peerless talent, everything people assumed when they saw or met him… he sat alone at the kitchen counter eating a massive plate of Lasagne quietly listening to the news about Best Jeanist resolving a hostage crisis hours ago. 23
Just glancing up from his phone he takes another bite of his food and looks across at the picture he brought down to have dinner with.
The picture Nezu had saved a year ago and brought to him, the only physical picture he had left, as everything else was on his phone or in isolated hard drives in safe houses.
He, Corazon, and Kiku, at the beach after a certain surfing trip. Placed in a simple picture frame and stood upright on the counter to face him.
So while his classmates were having dinner and chatting with their families, he did the same… 9
"So, today was my second day at UA," he says, seemingly to nobody, but his parents were always the people he could talk to about anything, and this is the closest he could get to that. "It wasn't bad, some of my classmates seem nice enough… I think they know not to get in my way, so that's good." 2
He takes another bite of his food.
"I got the Lasagne recipe right…well, I perfected it a while back, but it's the first time I've made it in this house, you know? Can't wait for you guys to try it…"
He sees the new story change to Gang Orca.
"Yeah, I already have everything ready, just need to get to the sports festival and take the spotlight. After that everything should run normally until I get my provisional license next year, UA lets second years take the test, but I'll try to talk Nezu into letting me take it early, I'm sure he'll like the idea," he chuckles. 1
He finishes his meal quickly after that, cleans up, then takes the picture and warps into his bedroom.
A massive bed with grey sheets, easily capable of comfortably holding five people of his large size.
Plugging in his phone to charge he lays in bed and takes one last look and the picture, eyes focusing on his parents, shaking his head at the memory of those words his mom said, and how true they are now. 2
"I really am a lonely god," he mutters sadly. "But it's only for a few more years…I'll bring us back together, I'll fix this, then we never have to set foot in Japan again…" 43
He rolls on his side and places the picture frame in the drawer of his bedside table.
"And now I need to go back to pretending like you aren't who you are, as if I could ever be ashamed of you," he says in disgust at the thought. 2
Turning off the lights he takes one last look at the clock, groaning as he sees its almost 2AM, then covers himself in the blanket and closes his eyes.
"Just a few more years being a lonely god…" 19
END CHAPTER–
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CREATORS' THOUGHTS
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The first 2 days at UA took a lot of chapters but I felt it was necessary since this is everyone's first impressions of each other
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Chapter 39: CHAPTER 036(The Logical Choice) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
–1A Classroom 8 AM…
Horizon leans forward lazily on his desk, idly scrolling on his phone.
Constantly fighting his desire to take a nap as people chatter all around him.
'I'll take a nap on the roof during lunch… I got too into my training yesterday, again…' he shakes his head and straightens up, feeling Eraser walking down the hallways toward them. 2
Doing a quick SCAN around campus he doesn't feel All Might anywhere, but he notices a massive crowd at the front gate of UA. 1
'The joys of being a celebrity hero…and most of those morons never wear a mask, so those people and villains can just show up at their house,' he looks around the classroom, recalling how only a handful of his classmates bothered to wear masks, at least of those who could realistically hide their identities. 2
He didn't judge people like Shoji…hiding all the extra arms was pretty much impossible, but he did question why they'd ever become a hero when they knew hiding was impossible.
He turns to his side and calls out to his seatmate, "hey Tokoyami."
The bird boy looks over at him and gives a polite nod, "yes?"
"Why'd you decide to become a hero?" he asks in an obviously tired voice.
"Oh, that, my Quirk can be difficult to control, dangerous in fact," Tokoyami summons Dark Shadow who happily waves at Horizon, looking more like a docile puppy under the morning sun. "The darkness in my heart is vast, I hope proper hero training can allow me to control the demon within." 18
Horizon looks between the edgelord and his currently adorable Quirk a few times and just nods, "uh-huh, Quirk control…that's pretty cool I guess." 1
"What about you?" Tokoyami asks.
"Oh, family reasons, and I made a deal with Nezu that I'd join UA," Horizon shrugs.
"Wait," Sero swivels around in his chair to join the conversation, leaning forward on Tokoyami's desk. "So the principal was the one who asked you to join, not the other way around?"
"Why would I ever want to come here?" Horizon asks genuinely, and all the people around him aren't too sure how to feel about that, about him disregarding what many of them had been dreaming about all their lives.
Sero chuckles nervously, "well, you guys have a lot cooler reasons than me, my family has always been poor, figured this would be a good way to change that," he shyly admits. 6
"That's actually a really good reason, certainly one of the very few that I respect," Horizon says. "Plus you have a real mask to protect them, better than most."
His response surprises those who were listening in, not expecting him to react positively to what many would deem a hollow desire.
"Wait, what do you mean the masks protects th–" Sero is cut off as Eraser enters the room. 1
"Get to your seats and quiet down!" he loudly announces, walking to the desk at the front of the class with a tall stack of papers in his hands, sleeping bad draped over his shoulder. 1
Within seconds everyone is silently facing the front of the classroom, their sleepy teacher yawning as he glances about.
'Yeah me too…' Horizon thinks, feeling sleepy as well.
"Alright listen up, now you'll have to make a decision that will determine your future, so think very carefully about this…" Horizon raises a brow at this while everyone else stiffens nervously, now wary of Eraser's record of expelling students. "You need to pick a class representative." 1
The entire class bursts into chaos.
Everyone trying to prop themselves up, yelling and shouting, small arguments breaking out.
Horizon closes his eyes to tune it all out…until Bakugo starts yelling.
And suddenly it felt like someone was hammering away at his skull.
"SHUT UP!" the entire class falls silent and stares at him. Taking a breath he turns in his seat to look at them, half of them standing where they were to lobby for themselves. "Write your vote on something and put it on the desk at the front of the class, QUIETLY. I'll count them up, just stop making noise, it's annoying." 2
Sensing the irritation in his voice nobody argues, simply returning to their seats to prepare their votes.
Eraser opens his sleeping bag and starts getting into it, "I don't care how you do it just have an answer before my nap is done…"
Horizon gets up and walks toward the front of the class, waiting not so patiently for everyone to submit their votes, and one by one they begin flooding in.
Some people like Bakugo only take as long as it would to write his own name on paper, surprising absolutely no one.
Others he could tell were overthinking it, having some sort of internal struggle, he rolls his eyes at Iida who was shivering and sweating at the back of the class, pen shaky in his hand as he considers the options.
'What am I supposed to do here?' Iida wracks his mind. 'Obviously I'd love this position, the first step in being a great leader of heroes like my brother, the first step in living up to the Iida family name…but am I ready?' he looks across the room to see Izuku. 'He's certainly a lot more heroic and perceptive than I am, sacrificing himself to save Uraraka at the entrance exams, and he was able to figure out the rescue points part of the test, while I just ran away and thought about myself.' 2
He feels shame bubbling up at those memories, the shame of not being the hero he thought he was. The hero he wants to be, a hero just like his brother. To be Ingenium.
He looks to the back of the room, at Momo and Todoroki, 'recommended students, certainly above me. Both powerful and having great analytical minds, nearly peerless,' he looks toward Horizon at the front of the room. Idly standing by as Asui submits her vote. 'Nearly…but he's even above them.'
Iida recalls the first time they met Horizon, all the things he said that made them disgusted and angry.
'His attitude is appalling, unbefitting of a hero, nothing at all like my brother. But he is capable, and a class representative is supposed to be a leader. Someone we look toward in times of crisis or for more mundane activities. My attitude and style will certainly be better for the day-to-day operations of our class…but if a crisis happens, Horizon is easily our best bet as a leader.' 4
Iida massages his temple, a thin sheen of sweat on his face, 'Horizon showed he can lead, and has the respect of the classmates at the least, with one command he organized this vote and took charge…and I just sat here and hesitated, if that were a dangerous situation I could have cost us lives…' 1
Iida grits his teeth and begins writing, 'heroes make the best choices to save the most lives, and I'm not quite there yet…'
'H-O-R–' he swallows his pride and makes the only logical choice.
"Alright," Horizon claps once to get their attention, stopping all the murmuring. "All nineteen votes are in, let's get this over with…these are the top three votes…"
He begins writing on the board.
Horizon-6 Votes
Momo-2 Votes
Izuku-2 Votes 6
Horizon isn't surprised at all.
'I didn't make any effort to actually get votes, but the main thing people are being judged by is likely the Battle Trial we had yesterday. And since I crushed that they voted for me, plus Nezu's big speech about me being the next great leader of heroes certainly helps a lot…guess this was inevitable.'
He looks back to see everyone trying to theorize who voted for who, and some lamenting their lack of votes.
'Yeah I would have definitely given the responsibility for these people over to someone like Iida since he has a stick shoved all the way up his ass, but this'll look pretty good when I'm being scouted, not that I need the help…but every bit counts. And a perfect school record will still hold value…guess I'm class rep,' he decides in barely a moment.
Bakugo is seething at the sight, balling his fist so his palms don't start crackling.
"Wow!" Kaminari gawks. "You got six votes?!"
"Yup," Horizon shrugs and lifts the stack of papers they submitted. "Feel free to come count them if you want."
"Give me those!" Bakugo rushes up and takes the votes and counts them. "ARGH!" he scorches them in his hands then stomps back to his seat.
"Guess it's legit," Kirishima chuckles.
"Anyway we've got a tiebreaker so I guess I'll go with–"
Uraraka's hand shoots up as she springs to her feet, "shouldn't we decide as a class!"
"No, because I didn't vote earlier," Horizon says. "I would have voted for Iida by the way, but I'll use it to get Momo as my second seat."
Momo's eyes widen in surprise, the most capable student in their class actually choosing her, she could almost feel her cheeks burning. 10
And Iida is dumbstruck at Horizon's words, expecting what he saw as their clear distaste for each other to make that possibility impossible. And a soft smile forms on his face as he realizes that who he saw as the only real choice for this role, also saw him in a similar light. 1
"That's why you said 'nineteen votes' earlier," Jiro realizes. "Plus I didn't see you write anything, not that you would have to since you're counting."
"Oh…ok," Uraraka says, failing to hide the disappointment in her voice, and sending an apologetic look at Deku. 2
"Ugh," Horizon rolls his eyes. "Look, I know you wanted your friend to win or whatever, but this isn't about who you like, it's about who is right for the job. If you only think with your heart you're gonna get people killed because when they need a hero that will make the right choices you're gonna let feelings guide you. So how about instead of always propping up that loser you work on yourself and become someone worth voting for…because right now, it's pathetic how you follow him around like a lost puppy." 11
"I, um," Uraraka just sits down and places her hands in her lap, staring down at her desk and trying not to cry, eventually quickly failing. 7
"And now it's crying…whatever, Momo, congratulations…" 7
Momo wants to feel proud of herself for being elected, but looking across at Urarka who was quietly being comforted by Iida, then to Horizon at the front of the room, she wasn't quite sure if she made the right decision voting for him. A sentiment shared by many people. 1
"Alright," Eraser stands up in his sleeping bag and unzips it, walking over to Horizon. "Congratulations or whatever, these are yours," he gestures to the stack of paper from earlier. "Fill them out before the end of the day and return them to me."
Horizon doesn't react and simply takes the stack of paper.
Then Eraser sees Uraraka crying and sighs, "every time you get up here and address the class someone starts crying, what you said wasn't entirely wrong, but you don't always have to make people cry. Part of being a hero is making people feel better," almost everyone nods along. 8
"Tch," Horizon sees Uraraka wiping her tears and shrugs. "Heroes also have to be tough, she'll get over it." 1
"Your path is gonna be a lot harder this way, just saying, anyways make your first address as class reps then get ready for first period," Eraser says before leaving the room, and a moment later Momo is standing beside Horizon.
For the first time she realizes how imposing he is, never really standing beside him before, her head barely reaching his neck, she could certainly disappear behind him. A feeling that she's had since the first time they met. And one that's only gotten stronger each day.
"Well, I guess I'll go first," Momo says nervously, giving everyone her best smile. "As your class vice representative, I pledge to solve as many of your issues as possible within my power for us all to have a comfortable and productive learning experience. That way we can all become our greatest selves and be great heroes in the future!" 1
She gets a chorus of resounding cheers from the class. And everyone silently turns to Horizon, hoping for something similar. 1
"Uh…no, fuck all of what she just said," he says dryly, causing everyone to just stare blankly. "You're training to be pro heroes, people that the useless general public look toward as problem solvers. That training starts now, do whatever you can within the rules to solve your own problems before you come whining to either of us, got it?" they nervously nod along. 14
"Good," he continues. "We aren't here to babysit you, don't only depend on other people, if you've done your best and still need help with something then come to us, but only for things within our responsibilities, that's all." He takes the stack of papers and returns to his desk, silently filling them out. 5
Low chatter begins once more, but the class eventually agrees with him, not wanting to be heroes that had to rely on others, but heroes people could rely on.
'Maybe he won't be that bad…' Momo thinks as she fills out her own vice representative form… 24
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 40: CHAPTER 037(Trespassers) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START–
"WHAT?!" Horizon statles awake, nealy rolling off his spot on the roof as alarms start blaring. Sitting up he immediately opens a ROOM, not sensing any fights taking place. 2
"A mob?" he senses dozens of people rushing the front of the school.
SHAMBLES
One of his throwing cards appears in his hand and he immediately throws it across to the other tower.
SHAMBLES
He swaps with the card before recalling it, casually walking to the edge of this tower and looking down.
"Ahh… the hero-worshiping trash broke in," he mutters, watching the press desperately scramble like the ants they are, Eraser and Present Mic already blocking them from the main doors.
"So much for the UA barrier keeping them out, wait," he shrinks his room down until only the main campus and the main gate were inside, then focuses on the main gate. "They broke it? Guess one of them has some serious balls, not bad."
After a few minutes the police arrive, quickly kicking the intruders off UA property and clearing them from the sidewalk. And moments later Nezu, Midnight, and Recovery Girl walk out, moving toward a pile of rubble where the main gate was.
Horizon stays on the roof, watching the pros inspect the gate, until Nezu turns around and looks up at him, seeing him standing on the ledge, his toes at the edge of a fifteen-story drop to the ground.
All the others turns around, and he sees Recovery Girl and Present Mic panic before Nezu gestures for him to join them.
'Hmm, alright,' he throws down a card, and a moment before it reaches them swaps to it, then summons it back to himself. 6
"So you really can Warp," Midnight says, her sexual persona cast aside to deal with this serious matter.
"Among other things," Horizon says, looking down at Nezu. "You need something?" 1
"Could you take a look at this for me, you may see something we don't," Nezu gestures to the pile of rubble where the gate was. Appearing like black sand.
"Sure," Horizon walks up and touches the rubble, SCAN. "This is the gate, three feet of solid steel, disintegrated."
"Disintegrated?" Eraser asks in surprise. "We know the Quirks of all the press that was here, none of them could do that."
"And even if they could, they wouldn't," Mic adds. "They know how illegal it is to just use your Quirk in public without a hero license, and especially how bad it could get if you attack UA."
"I see," Nezu taps his chin and considers his options. 'Closing school for the day could cause a panic over nothing, and this isn't the first time a villain would have done something like this. The teachers and upper-year hero course students can handle the run-of-the-mill villains, once the main campus hasn't been infiltrated we should be fine.'
"How do you want to proceed?" Recovery Girl asks.
"Let's have a full sweep of the main campus," he turns to Horizon. "Can you check for anyone suspicious or new, or any destruction like this at least?"
All the other staff look toward Horizon, not sure what the hell Nezu was talking about.
"Sure," Horizon shrugs, much to their surprise.
ROOM! 3
He expands his room five hundred meters in every direction, with him in the middle as always. Enough to cover the four main towers and all the training fields and courtyards directly around them, and since his room is a massive sphere, he also got the sewer system.
SCAN!
He focuses for a few seconds, then shakes his head. "Nothing new or destroyed, aside from one person."
All the staff stands on edge at that, Eraser and Midnight ready to rush into action.
"Is Thirteen in the staff lounge?" Horizon asks, and everyone relaxes. 6
"So you really can do that huh," Eraser says. "And yeah Thirteen is here as a guest lecturer, Nezu bribed her with a fancy new facility and a big budget."
Nezu smiles proudly at that, "nothing but the best for my students of course."
"Right, well I only scanned everything for a few hundred meters around me, sewers included, I can expand my range if you want…"
"The security system can handle the rest," Nezu says. "This building is where most of the students are so it's our main priority, but right now you all need to get to class, lunch is about to finish, you should get to class Horizon, and congratulations on the election."
Horizon rolls his eyes, "right, as if you didn't plan that." 2
Nezu smiles innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"Whatever."
SHAMBLES!
"Wow," Present Mic says as Horizon leaves. "Playing hide and seek with him must have sucked."
"I don't know," Midnight smiles lecherously, "I bet he could find all the best spots…" 29
Recover Girl smacks her in the shin with her walking stick. 3
Eraser just shakes his head, "let's just be glad he has whatever he just did, the security system can do the rest. And at least now we know a bit more about his warping, he can just find something and decide to move it…there's warping, then there's that."
"I told you he's impressive," Nezu boasts. "Plus I'm sure it will make your rescue training lesson a breeze for him."
"I'll probably have to stop him from warping the dummies out, just to make sure he knows the procedure." 1
"Isn't he a doctor?" Midnight asks. "I figured he'd know how to take care of people." 1
Recovery Girl frowns, "his bedside manner is by far the worst I've seen…well, there was that one surgeon I worked with for a while in Central Hospital, he was also horrible… and we know how that turned out…" 13
"The important thing is that this campus is safe and we're learning more about our students," Nezu quickly changes the subject from Recovery Girl's story. "I think it best for Aizawa to join All Might and Thirteen for rescue training later, better safe than sorry." 1
"I agree," Eraser says. "I'll go talk it over with them so everyone is on the same page…"
After making a quick detour to the washroom Horizon takes a casual walk into class, letting his body wake up after that refreshing nap.
Walking past class 1B's homeroom, their neighbors, he can't help but stop in front of the glass panels separating them from the hallway. Freezing in place he slowly turns, seeing one of the students finishing up a snack, or more like starting a snack.
With white hair and void black skin and features, only his smile and eyes standing out on his shadow-like body, the boy was sitting at the second to last seat in the back of the first column, eating a cookie, a meter-wide chocolate chip cookie. 8
"I need this in my life…" Horizon mutters and immediately walks to the back door of class 1B.
With three quick knocks he pulls the door open, thankfully not sensing any teachers on this floor yet so he had some time.
"Yo!" He leans into the room and casually waves at everyone, and the entire room falls silent as everyone turns back to stare at him.
"Uh-hi?" The orange-haired girl in the back of the first row greets him, only a meter away from him. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'm Horizon, the 1A Class Rep, just wanna know where he got that," he points directly to the massive cookie. "Please tell me Lunch Rush sells those."
"Uh sorry man," Kuroiro turns around and smiles apologetically. "Yui made this," he gestures to a girl at the front. Short black hair and a blank expression on her face. 3
"Bakery Quirk?"
"It's Size, hi, I'm Kendo by the way," the orange-haired girl greets him with a handshake. "I'm the Class Rep for 1B."
"Nice to meet you," Horizon steps into the room and shakes her hand, and suddenly Kendo's looking up at him.
SCAN!
He immediately senses the odd Telomeres, bones, and stem cells in her hands.
"Oh, Big Fists?" he asks.
Kendo's eyes widen in surprise as they break the handshake. "How'd you know that?"
"Lucky guess," he shrugs. "Anyway, I should get out of here, Vlad just left the teachers' lounge with Eraser…really sucks that I'm stuck with tail-boy and Deku while you guys get cookie girl," he sighs and begins leaving.
"Wait," Kendo says, causing him to stop and turn back to her. "Since you know mine, what's your Quirk, Horizon?" Kendo raises a hand and enlarges it to the size of a car door, flexing it, and then brings it back to normal.
"That's fair, my Quirk is called Hand Of God, it lets me do a lot of things."
One seat away Ibara -a girl with green vines for hair-flinches at the blasphemous name. While everyone else just looks confused. 5
"A lot of things like what?! With a name like that it has to be strong, right?!" A silver-haired boy excitedly asks, eyelashes so long it appears as if he were wearing a domino mask.
Kendo sighs, " and this guy with no manners is Tetsutetsu, he gets excited meeting new people."
"And you're the first person from your class we've met!" Tetsutetsu says.
"Right, well I figured you'd meet us at the sports festival anyway, but yeah my Quirk lets me do things like Warping, Healing, Telekinesis, Invisible Bullets, and a few other things," Horizon says, enjoying their looks of disbelief and amazement, unsure if to believe something that impossible. 6
"Ohh, you're that guy," a girl with green hair says, only 156cm tall, Setsuna Tokage. 4
"What guy?"
"Well there was some chatter about a student that can warp," she says. "I heard some people talking about it, they thought it was a third year but apparently this debunks it…so it's you…"
"I guess so, apparently word got out faster than I expected."
"People love to gossip about what the Hero Course Quirks can do," Kendo says. "I've even got a friend in the second year that heard about you, but the rumor started when someone heard Ectoplasm talking, so nobody knew who it was." 2
"Makes sense, well now if anyone asks you know who to point them toward," Horizon says casually, as if it wasn't the most sought-after Quirk in the world.
"So how does it work?!" Tetsutetsu asks. "Like do you open a big magic gate and walk into it or something or what?" 2
Horizon sees everyone staring at him expectantly and beneath his visor he can't help but smile, always willing to have some fun with new people.
"I'll show you," he walks toward the window at the far side of the room, and looks toward the massive open training field. Four hundred meters of dirt before a concrete wall, and behind it a massive grass field.
"Tetsutetsu, do you see that field out there?" he points out the window, and everyone follows his directions to stare at it.
"Yeah."
ROOM!
For 500m in every direction, his ROOM opens up.
"Good, get ready to take a picture," he turns back to Tetsutetsu and raises his hand, ready to snap his fingers.
SHAMBLES!
The boy disappears, swapped with a small rock the moment he snapped his fingers.
"WOW!" people gape and yell out in surprise, never expecting to actually see a warping Quirk in person.
"Where'd you send him?" Kendo asks, concern in her voice.
"Outside."
SHAMBLES!
They swap back, and Tetsutetsu has his phone in his hand.
"That was so weird, one second I'm here and the next I'm out there," he points to the window. Then shows them all the pictures he took from the grass field.
A chorus of praise echoes out before Horizon feels Eraser and Vlad walking down the hallway.
"I need to get going, teachers are almost here," he begins walking away. "If you guys ever wanna trade I'll give you tail boy and Naval Laser for cookie girl," he casually says without looking back. 7
"MMM!" Yui says, still not talking but expressing her… something, nobody was completely sure. 13
But they had a fair guess when Ibara looked at her with clear worry in her eyes, "really, the blasphemous boy?" 6
"MM!"
Ibara just frowns and decides to ignore it, 'I'll pray or her to make better choices in the future…' 6
As Kendo is getting her class under control, trying to get their excitement down after Horizon's Quirk display, Horizon walks back into 1A to see everyone standing around chatting. 1
"Get to your seats, Eraser is in the hallway," he walks to his seat while everyone scrambles about.
A moment later Eraser walks in a starts class, getting everyone ready for Rescue Training and handing out their hero costumes.
And now they were all just standing outside waiting for Eraser to bring the bus around and take them to Thirteen.
Horizon was standing beside Momo, both in full costume like almost everyone else. Only Deku had his PE outfit on since his costume was destroyed.
He just stands back while Momo adds him to a class group chat, other students scattered about having light conversations.
"So you really like this Class Rep stuff huh?" Horizon asks, watching her put his number into the group chat.
"Well it's best to stay on top of things and proactive, being prepared is always a must," she gives him a beaming smile.
"That's why I voted for you," Jiro adds as she joins them, Mina and Kaminari beside her. "I figured you'd be super responsible with us."
"Just don't babysit them too much," Horizon says.
"Yeah I'm with Horizon on that," Mina adds. "He made a pretty good point earlier…he actually almost always has a good point, he's just a total jerk at expressing it." 2
"Really?" Horizon asks jokingly. "You guys have only ever seen me be either nice or neutral, you really wouldn't want to see me actually try to be mean…" 15
Those words send a shiver down their spines. 3
"So who do you guys think the third pro is, Aizawa is supposed to be taking us to meet them and All Might right?" Jiro asks.
"I hope it's Midnight!" Kaminari cheers, immediately joined by Sero a few meters away.
"It's Thirteen," Horizon says flatly.
"THIRTEEN!" Uraraka screams, as if trying to rival Mic, Horizon tunes out her and Deku as they begin having a fanboy meltdown of some kind.
"How do you know it's Thirteen?" Asui walks up and asks, now joining the circle.
"Nezu asked me to do a quick check of the main campus earlier after the alarm scare, found her, Eraser mentioned she's here as a guest teacher. Something about Nezu giving her a dream facility or something," he shrugs.
"Wow they asked you to check the school, that's a pretty big responsibility, Principal Nezu really trusts you a lot," Asui points out, and everyone nods along.
"I just had to check if anything was off with the main campus building, Eraser's here," Horizon nods toward the bus before it even rounds the corner for them to see. 1
'Did he just 'sense' it?' a few people wonder as it stops in front of them.
"Alright everybody in," Horizon orders, and everyone silently boards. He and Momo board last, entering to see the open layout in the first half of the bus. He spared an odd glance at the small robot driving the bus with Eraser in the seat behind it. "How far away is this place?"
"Only 3 kilometers, should only be a five-minute drive," Eraser says as everyone gets seated, with Horizon and Sato sitting beside each other in the front while Momo moves to sit with Jiro in the middle. 2
Horizon leans back to enjoy a quiet ride, an impossibility with his classmates, and naturally, the conversation drifts toward heroics.
Opposite him, Kirishima sighs, "man I hope I can do something to stand out today, it's hard enough trying to go pro with just my plain Quirk but the competition in this class is insane."
"Well at least you don't have to worry about Bakugo," Asui says. "He's way too loud and violent to ever get public support, especially considering what his Quirk is."
Bakugo's eyes snap open, he leans forward to respond, but just decides to bite his tongue and sit back. Not in the mood to compare himself to the obvious competition, glaring at Horizon sitting close to Asui.
This reaction doesn't go unnoticed by Deku, who just looks down at his lap, kneading the fabric of his PE clothes nervously. 7
"Yeah Todoroki and Horizon are the main competition," Aoyama says. "And moi of course, my Naval Laser is stylish, flashy, and powerful, the people will be sure to love me." 3
"Too bad you need a diaper," Horizon mutters, causing everyone to laugh lightly. 1
"Then I guess that leaves Todoroki," Sato says. "Fire and Ice in one Quirk, pretty hard to compete with, I mean I'm in an even worse boat than Kirishima, at least his hardening can look cool."
"If you stack enough wins it doesn't matter," Horizon says. "Endeavour is intolerable but he's got by far the most resolved incidents in the world, even more than All Might, yeah it helps that his Quirk is flashy, but the commission uses raw numbers to calculate rank too." 2
"Easy for you to say," Kaminari groans. "You're Quirk is warping, that's like a golden ticket into the top ten, plus all the other stuff you can do, and you're good in a fight too, honestly man it's like you were grown in a test tube to make us feel bad…"
"I kinda was," Horizon says flatly, causing everyone, including Eraser to stare in worry. "Not the test tube thing, but my parents have been teaching me since I was five, homeschool and all that, everything from the basics to medicine to combat and Quirk training, not much of a surprise that I'm so much better," he shrugs.
Todoroki frowns at that description, memories of his horrendous childhood with Endeavour surfacing, the thought that he and Horizon weren't that different slowly forming in his mind. 6
A dangerous assumption. 11
"That explains why you're so much better at this stuff," Sero says. "You've been at it for like ten years, most of us didn't start training till a year or two ago," most of the other students nod in agreement.
"It helps that your Quirk is super cool," Mina says. "But I guess all the homeschooling and training explains why you suck at making friends huh?"
"Excuse me?" Horizon leans forward to look at her. "What do you mean?"
Mina raises her hands in surrender, "nothing personal, just…people respond better when you're nice to them, you're super abrasive and direct, not cute at all." 7
"It doesn't matter," Horizon says. "All that matters is competency, everything else is secondary." 1
"Ohhh," Mina gets a thoughtful look, the pieces finally coming together. "That explains why you suck at making friends, you just don't think social skills matter," she snaps her fingers, solving the case. 26
"Why would I care if–" 3
"We're here!" Eraser announces as the bus comes to a stop.
Stepping off the bus they're immediately greeted by an absurdly massive concrete dome. The massive simulation area Nezu had constructed to Thirteen's specifications.
And standing in the middle of the massive red pathway leading into the fancy orange entry doors is the hero herself. Space Hero: Thirteen, looking like an extra puffy astronaut in her white spacesuit-themed costume, complete with a black bowl-like headpiece with two large white eyes. 7
Deku and Uraraka immediately go into full hero-worshipping mode as Horizon walks behind everyone with Eraser and Shoji. Not paying much attention to Thirteen's speech as she explains the facility.
'So one big dome with a half dozen natural disaster environments built inside…pretty smart to have this honestly,' he couldn't help but admit it was one of the most intricate and clever things he's seen at UA.
The Unforeseen Simulation Joint, USJ for short.
By the time the speech finishes they're standing inside, at the end of a long and wide walkway leading to a massive set of stairs down to the main floor.
A large water fountain is in the exact middle of the dome. A smaller red dome at one end, covered in flame decals. A fire rescue simulation area.
A similar dome painted white and blue, the hurricane zone.
He also saw a shipwreck zone, a small lake with a medium-sized ship floating in it, and a tall curving waterspout to simulate a waterfall.
A mountain and landslide zone with loose rocks, some small steep drop-offs, and crumbled buildings, likely also doubling as an earthquake zone since this is Japan.
ROOM!
Horizon opens a 250m room, covering the entire USJ facility and taking a few SCANs. 2
As Thirteen is explaining Eraser stands beside her, noticing Horizon's head moving about, looking between all the different zones.
"And that's exactly why this facility was constructed," Thirteen continues explaining. "Today you won't be fighting or destroying anything, you'll strictly be using your Quirk to rescue and save people, that wa–"
"Shut up," Horizon rudely interrupts and begins pushing through the crowd, head on a swivel looking between all the zones.
"HEY!" Thirteen yells, "you c–" 4
Eraser steps forward and raises a hand to silence her, "Horizon, what are you sensing?" 2
Horizon draws his sword and points at the lake, "something is distorting space at the bottom of the lake…actually, in all the zones…"
'This feels familiar,' Horizon thinks. 'It's still forming but I've felt this before… BLINK!' he recalls the Warp user in Swiss Vault, how she'd bend and fold space before forming her Warp Gates.
"It's a Warp Gate Quirk!" Horizon says, "I can sense villains coming out!"
Eraser and Thirteen are immediately on guard, turning toward the stairs ready for action.
"Everyone stay together!" Eraser says.
"Left!" Horizon yells causing everyone to turn, and a small ball of purple mist begins expanding in the air to the left of them.
"Hor–" A deep shrill voice begins speaking through the mist. 8
AMPUTATE
He slashes the air, and as his invisible slash hits the mist, the conflicting commands of space cause the Warp Gate to collapse instantly.
'I can close them!' he thinks, then immediately dumps more stamina into his ROOM, expanding it another 3KM.
SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! 2
"What the hell?!" Thirteen yells as she's suddenly in Class 1A's homeroom, standing at the front of the class where the teacher's desk was. Everyone else was standing behind their desks with their chairs missing, and Horizon's desk was swapped with Eraser. 9
"Everyone ok?" Horizon asks, trying to keep his breathing steady so nobody realizes how much stamina he just dumped into that move.
"Looks like everyone is fine," Eraser says. "I need to go alert Nezu, Thirteen stay with them!" he orders, rushing toward the door while everyone is still reeling from what just happened.
But before Eraser could even reach the door.
WARP GATE! 10
The entire floor becomes purple mist, rising up, climbing the walls and the ceiling where both Asui and Sero had already stuck to, reflexively leaping away from the floor. 3
Horizon instantly raises his sword to slash the Warp Gate, but freezes.
'If I cancel the gate then everyone could get fuck up,' he notices their legs already knee-deep in the purple mist. 'And if I try to Shambles us away while part of us is in it, could it rip us apart?' He can't take the chance. 8
And the moment it was completely sealed, they were in a different space. 1
And his ROOM collapsed… 15
END CHAPTER– 1
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
Chapter 41: CHAPTER 038(USJ) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"ROOM," Horizon unconsciously says aloud, the moment his feet touch the ground and light hits his eyes, standing in the middle of what looks like a collapsed mountainside in USJ. 1
"RNGH!" he turns just in time to see a massive hulking villain. 300cm tall and built like a hulk, black-purple skin with tears exposing the muscles beneath. Its brain was exposed for him to see, with a beaklike mouth.
The monster cleared the two dozen meters between them in a blink.
AMPUTATE! 1
Horizon casually slashes out, his slash reaches the other end of the USJ dome and leaves a line in the concrete wall. Buildings collapse as they were simply in the way, but Nomu remains standing.
He stumbles and flinches, but to Horizon's surprise, he doesn't get divided in two, the slash across his chest immediately heals and he swings at Horizon. 26
SHAMBLES!
He picks a random rock from the landslide zone and swaps with it, appearing behind Nomu, just in time to see the air pressure from its punch carve out a piece of the mountainside, a ten-meter-wide trench extending for dozens of meters.
"SuperPower?" he questions, and expands his room to encompass the entirety of USJ, already hearing explosions echoing out across the dome.
"What the hell is going on here?" he mutters to himself as Nomu instantly turns and rushes him again. An unintelligible shriek is the only sound it makes.
It was far too fast for his eyes to keep up, but thankfully that's what his room was for.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps with a rock directly beside it the moment it swings another strong right hook at his visor.
SCAN! the moment his hand touches its side, and everything freezes.
He feels it shifting from a strong right hook to a backhand at his head, and the rest of the information floods in, and all the information floods in.
'All my classmates are here in USJ, and the Warp Gate villain is at the fountain fighting Eraser and Thirteen with a few dozen villains. My classmates are scattered about but look to be holding up, at least for now. But this thing…
It's like Frankenstein's monster, a cobbled-together assortment of body parts, fused with science, Quirks, and Drugs, its mind doesn't have any sentience, only the ability to follow commands. 1
And it's Quirk…no, Quirks. I can feel multiple Quirks. SuperPower, it has super dense muscles with a layer of elasticity…Shock Absorption. And Stem cells, Super-Regeneration, that's why Amputate didn't work, it healed as my slash was dividing it, effectively healing around the cut before it was finished. 16
But nobody knows how Amputate works, they think it's Air Slash, so this guy wasn't built for me…he was built to kill All Might. But All Might's Quirk is an accumulation type, starting from zero and getting stronger through his life, I don't think this thing can hit the same highs, it's more like Deku, starting with a lot of power that can't increase, SuperPower. 2
And if it's here to kill All Might, and he isn't here…then why is he attacking me instead of the Pros?'
Horizon feels a Warp Gate preparing to open down at the fountain.
'The Warp Gate villain said 'Hor–' before I shut the gate in his face, my name maybe? But they can't know about my Quirk…a spy? But he probably locked onto us when he first entered USJ so if I warp everyone anyway he'll just drag us back, best leave everyone to deal with the fodder while I take care of this guy. 1
If any students or teachers die here my class and graduation could be in danger, and that puts my contract in danger… I'll deal with this guy before sickly All Might shows up and gets hurt even more, or worse, the villains get lucky… I won't let anyone die or get hurt, I won't let some stupid villains put my contract at risk!' 17
An obscene amount of information was processed and a plan formulated, all in the time it took Nomu to realize Horizon had warped to his side and touched him. 1
SHAMBLES!
He narrowly warps away from a vicious backhand, another swath of destruction carved out by the air pressure.
'The Hurricane Zone would have been perfect for this fight, I could have used the rain, but I can't feel it, so power is probably out in a few places…'
He constantly flickers about, evading strike after strike while slashing into Nomu.
'NO!' he feels the Warp Gate villain opening a gate and immediately slashes down in its direction, toward the main plaza and water fountain.
AMPUTATE!
The slash cleaves through the entire mountain zone, dozens of meters of solid rock before hitting the air and reaching all the way to the fountain, slamming into the Warp Gate and closing it.
Their game of extreme tag continues, every time Nomu would swing Horizon warps away and slashes. 1
The entire mountain zone was slashed and smashed to pieces, becoming more and more unstable by the second.
'This thing isn't alive, so let's try something drastic,' he sees Nomu turn and beeline toward him with a left hook, grips the hilt of his sword tightly, and prepares himself.
SHAMBLES!
One of his throwing cards appears in his left hand and he throws it above himself, and the moment the punch is inches away from his visor.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps with the card, appearing directly above Nomu's exposed brain.
"Incision!" he yells and thrusts his sword down into Nomu's brain, feeling the Super-Regeneration trying to literally push the blade out of its body. "Counter Shock!" 4
Arcs of blue electricity flow down from his hands and into the blade, reaching the brain and spine of the Nomu.
'Shit, SHAMBLES!' he disappears with a rock meters away as Nomu reaches up to crush him in a massive hand, not even phased by a shock to the brain. 2
Their battle continues as Horizon tries to form a new plan.
'I haven't sensed a Warp Gate for a minute, Eraser must have used his Quirk on him, that means if I take this thing down there and he blinks things could go very badly, I'll have to deal with this solo…but since it has no organs, it's just a ball of muscles and nerves, not to mention if I remove the brain it'll probably grow back… I need to think of something drastic…' 8
Horizon predicts an obvious grab at super speed, stepping outside of the arc and making direct contact with his blade. Metal against flesh.
INCISION!
BOOSTER SHOT!
He feels the shock absorption kick in instantly, as if he swung a kitchen knife against a steel wall, the recoil rattling his arms. 'figured as much, my enhanced direct slashes don't work…its as if this damn Power Type was built to counter me…' 19
Nomu takes the chance and raises both arms up, slamming down and destroying the landslide zone.
"Shit!" Horizon yells as the entire mountainside begins to crumble, and all of USJ rattles.
SHAMBLES!
He disappears, swapped with a villain in the conflagration zone before the shockwave killed him. Now within the smaller red dome were a few five-story buildings, the zone where everything was on fire.
"I'm not sensing it rampaging anymore," Horizon mutters, feeling Ojiro fighting nearby.
The basic thugs around him come to their senses and immediately rush him, proving to be no challenge.
The first was just a muscular man, two meters tall with large fists. As he tries to land a sloppy punch Horizon swings his sword, cutting the man's right fist in two leaving a bloody stump before kneeing him in the torso, knocking the wind out of him, and taking him out of the fight.
The final two were twins, two women with Quirks that gave them guns for index fingers, taking aiming and firing a constant stream of bone bullets at Horizon.
'Trash,' he thinks to himself before swapping for one of the women, causing both sisters to riddle each other with spiked bullets. 1
"Horizon!" Ojiro yells as he lands beside Horizon, clearly happy to see an ally. "Dude, what's going on?"
"Just some–" Horizon freezes, then looks up to a certain part of the dome. "Shit!"
Nomu comes crashing through the top of the dome, shaking the entire structure and causing spiderweb cracks to spread through the roof of it.
CRASH!
Nomu brings down two buildings and tears up the road as he makes his entrance, immediately locking onto Horizon and rushing him faster than either student could see.
SHAMBLES!
They both swap with nearby rubble as Nomu punches where they were, Ojiro's heart skips a beat when he sees the air pressure of that punch bring down multiple buildings.
"I'll deal with this, you stay with the Pros," Horizon says before swapping Ojiro for a villain near to Eraser.
"Huh?" The man asks confused, "argh!" he yells as Horizon stabs him in the leg from behind him.
He looks up in time to see Nomu already about to punch him, 'SHAMBLES!' he swaps out for rubble, and the villain he just stabbed become red mist when the punch connects.
"Ok, let's go…" he says to Nomu, challenging the monster… 1
–4 Minutes Later…
Half the class was rushing toward the main plaza, the first to finish up their fights. Most notably was Deku, being carried by Sato because of his broken legs, shattered when he used his Quirk to push Mina to safety from falling debris.
"What's with all the shaking?" Todoroki asks, leading the pack beside Bakugo and Kirishima.
"It's Horizon!" Ojiro says. "He's fighting some super strong villain, they've been moving between zones and tearing them up…"
Some people silently nod along, having seen pieces of the battle earlier as they warped and jumped between all the different zones.
Bakugo just grits his teeth and keeps quiet, head on a swivel as he feels quakes happening all around them as the duo constantly move their fight.
Down in the main plaza Eraser is panting, quickly running out of energy, one elbow slightly disintegrated, the skin gone to reveal muscle beneath. Thirteen wasn't faring any better, currently fighting with one hand, the other hanging limply at her side, broken. 2
"Kurogiri, get us out of here!" Shigaraki demands, scratching his skin to the point of drawing blood, his disheveled blue hair and all the hands attached to his body and face giving an eerie feeling to all the students around. 2
"I can't," Kurogiri says. The purple mist man tries to open another Warp Gate only for it to instantly collapse. "Horizon keeps cutting them, we need to kill him, but somehow Nomu still hasn't managed…" 7
"Damn it," Shigaraki scratches his skin even more, staring at the heroes opposite him as the standoff continues, Eraser having canceled his quirk for the moment but Thirteen standing guard with her Black Hole Quirk so he couldn't rush in. "He's the secondary target, but we weren't told he'd be this strong…" he turns to see a dozen students rushing at him.
Todoroki, Bakugo, Momo, Tokoyami and Kirishima led the pack.
As they were ready to jump in and break the deadlock, Horizon swapped places with one of the basic thugs, he ignored everyone and just looked toward the water fountain, 'exactly what I need.'
"Horizon, what–" Eraser is cut off by what sounds like a massive explosion, a huge gust of wind pushes everyone back as Nomu lands in the plaza, scattering everyone. Eraser blinks, and Shigaraki feels his Quirk return.
The monster wastes no time rushing Horizon again, faster than any of them could see, Horizon warps away, thankfully his back was against the water causing the Air Pressure to make a rift along the lake.
AMPUTATE!
Standing at the fountain he slashes down with one hand, holding a throwing card in the other. A massive slash reaches out, cutting through Nomu and the water, slicing the ship floating on the lake in two and leaving a thin slit in USJ's dome.
'That thing is strong, like All Might,' everyone thought, 'and he's been fighting it all this time…'
Nomu is staggered for a moment before his Super-Regeneration kicks in, then he immediately turns and digs his bare feet into the stone floor, cratering the ground as he pushes off. 7
Midway through the rush, two attacks reach out to intercept before Nomu gets to Horizon.
"DIE!/ Heaven Piercing Ice Wall!" Bakugo and Todoroki launch their strongest attacks, ice, and a powerful explosion. 17
The heroes and villains alike are amazed by their power, but Nomu just backhands the air and destroys all their efforts.
In the same instant that it ice and smoke are swatted away, causing everyone to crouch down as the wind tried to rip them off the floor, Nomu swings out at Horizon.
Before their eyes, he warps Nomu above him, swapped with the card he just tossed over the fountain.
'C'mon, make it rain,' Horizon thinks as he feels Nomu now falling, twisting its body down to punch directly under it, inches away from Horizon's skull.
SHAMBLES!
The moment the punch is about to make contact he swaps with a piece of ice close to his classmates. 11
An explosion of dust and water forms a mushroom cloud of debris dozens of meters high, as if it were raining.
"Game over," Horizon says, a vicious smile on his lips, but all they could see was the blank visor as he shrinks his room. From covering all of USJ to only the main plaza, he swaps to one of the water droplets in the air, and swaps Nomu for another.
The Room shrinks to only cover a few dozen meters around them.
Before anyone could realize what was happening he slahsed out, AMPUTATE!
Nomu flinches, the cut across its face instantly healing. 3
'Change the angle, make the lines cross, separate the pieces,' Horizon decides.
AMPUTATE!
Another clean slash.
SHAMBLES!
Before it can heal he appears on the other side of Nomu. 1
AMPUTATE!
It crosses the previous slash, effectively cutting a piece of the monster out.
SHAMBLES!
He fails to warp the piece away before it heals. 1
"What the hell is he doing?" Kirishima asks as the students stare in wonder.
Seeing Horizon and Nomu constantly flickering about, but nobody has time to realize or even give a response.
After the first dozen slashes, he finally gets the first success, SHAMBLES! 1
A chunk of Nomu's arm swaps for a drop of water and hits the floor.
Then another piece of the monster. Then another, and another.
"NO!" Shigaraki screams, "That's impossible, Super-Regeneration is still active!"
By the time Horizon was done the entire floor and fountain were sliced and diced into little pieces, and Nomu was a still living puzzle on the floor, waiting to be put back together. 16
Shigaraki was seething with rage, "damn it, you cheated! Kurogiri!" he turns, and finally notices Kurogiri already frozen in a thick block of ice. "No!" 3
Horizon's ROOM immediately collapses as he drops to one knee, over a hundred slashes in such little time completely emptied out his stamina.
"Stupid, villains," Horizon glances over to his classmates as he takes exhausted breaths, then looks toward the villains. Kurogiri is a popsicle and Shigarai is already pinned down by Eraser. "So much for UA being a breeze huh Nezu."
'I guess I've got a lot of work to do…' he decides, realizing that there were some situations that he just didn't have a proper answer to… 10
END CHAPTER–
Hyper-Regeneration is a really damn bad matchup for Law, the more I thought about it the more it makes sense, and thematically someone with that Quirk would counter a doctor. Didn't feel like making USJ into a 5 chapter mini-arc so let's just get to the fun stuff. 55
I finished writing this volume recently so this week its daily uploads, curious to see how many power stones we can get :) 1
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Chapter 42: CHAPTER 039(Debrief)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Minutes after Nomu was defeated, Kurogiri and Shigarami were already knocked out. 3
All Might and the other Pros arrived and quickly swept up the other villains, which leaves us where we are now.
With Horizon standing at the fountain speaking to detective Tsukauchi.
"Are you sure it's alive?" Tsukauchi asks, looking at the dozens of pieces of Nomu on the floor, all the police officers standing around with disgusted looks, metal cases ready to store the pieces, while others kept loading up villains.
"It is," Horizon says, "it's a walking corpse made from a few different people, it wasn't really alive in the first place, more like the muscles were just getting commands. But it's alive, if you put these pieces in the same box you'll have to deal with it again so don't do that."
"Freaky," the detective says, noticing one of the eyes still looking around as part of its head was still intact. "What kind of monster would think to even do this…"
"No clue," Horizon says. "Now since you know I didn't kill anyone can I go join the others?" 5
"Right, I'll be over in a bit to get all the other stories…"
Taking a rather exhausting walk up the massive staircase and out of USJ Horizon sees a dozen prison busses parked outside, a small army of police cars accompanying them. 1
Off to the left, he sees all his classmates standing with Present Mic at a UA bus, clearly waiting for him. Quietly chattering about their first villain experience.
"Horizon!" Mina yells excitedly, causing everyone to turn toward him. "You were super cool in there, the way you cut up that villain." 3
"Thanks," he says in a tired voice. "We ready to go?"
"Yup," Mic says. "We were just waiting for you, Eraser and Midoriya are already at Recovery Girl, Thirteen too…"
"Great, let's get out of here…"
Everyone boarded the bus and Horizon immediately gets a text from Nezu, 'My office,' was all it said.
'Of course…'
Present Mic sat at the front while the robot was driving, with Horizon only one seat behind him, sitting beside Momo and Jiro.
Everyone is still chattering about what they just encountered when Todoroki's voice cuts through the noise.
"Horizon," his monotone voice silences the bus, sitting closer to the back while Horizon was at the front.
"Yeah?" Horizon asks, leaning back and trying to relax.
"We know the villains made that creature to kill All Might, but how did you beat it, it was as strong as him, it even shrugged off our best attacks," he glances at Bakugo who was one step from exploding at the memory. "But you beat it by yourself, how?"
Even Present Mic turns to look at him, not sure what kind of answer to expect.
"Simple, because I'm better," Horizon shrugs. Everyone just glares daggers at him before he continues explaining. "I had to overcome its Quirks, Shock Absorption, SuperPower, Super-Regeneration, and anything else it had. Power types are easy for me, but the regeneration was a real pain, without that I could have handled it in one slash. Plus the fact that I had to deal with Kurogiri, every time he made a Warp Gate I had to take a second to close it before he decided to move any of you around again, honestly it was more of a challenge than I ever expected to face at UA." 15
They look both amazed and horrified that a student could deal with a situation like that.
"Your reaction in stressful situations is also admirable," Momo adds. "You instantly warped us back to our homeroom from USJ when the villains arrived, if he wasn't able to warp us back then I'm sure you would have done that again." 3
"Yup."
"Man to think you got the final boss while we had to clean up those street punks…not that I could have done anything to help, I mean one of his punches was destroying buildings, I'm not ready for that yet," Kirishima whines. "Good job Class Rep!"
Everyone echoes his cheer, and they could slowly feel the distance between them and Horizon widening. No, not widening, they were simply realizing how far ahead he really was. 3
Shoto quietly sits and stares at Horizon, 'I wonder how much he suffered to become this strong, I can't imagine what he survived…' 19
Bakugo just glares out the window, a new sense of numbness spreading in his chest, as if his body didn't have that burning desire to catch up anymore, as if he was slowly realizing how hopeless it was. 2
Iida was proud of himself, he now knew for sure that he made the right choice voting for Horizon.
And sitting directly beside Horizon, Momo frowns and tunes out Jiro who was chatting with her. Suddenly there was an infinite chasm separating her, the Vice Class Rep, from the Class Rep. Her doubts and insecurities about her own value suddenly amplified to heights unheard of for her. 1
Jiro notices the change in Momo's mood and rests and hand on her leg, giving her a concerned look, but Momo just puts on a weak fake smile, not even fooling herself. 9
Stepping off the bus Horizon ignores everyone and makes a beeline to Nezu's office, quickly entering and laying down on one of the couches, not even wanting to activate his Quirk to swap his hero costume.
Leaning his sword against the coffee table he closes his eyes and nods off, taking a small nap while the Pros finish up… 2
–2 Hours Later…
TAP TAP TAP! 1
Horizon wakes up groggily, seeing Yagi standing over him tapping his visor as if it were a fishbowl. 3
"Mmm," Horizon groans and sits up, looking around to see Nezu and Tsukauchi on the opposite couch already. "How long was I asleep?"
"It's only five," Yagi says, taking a seat beside Horizon. "You've had a long day, makes sense that you're tired."
"Yeah, from doing your job…" Horizon groans, and everyone frowns in response. "So why am I here?" 3
"We just need to ask some questions, mainly about the Nomu," Tsukauchi says.
"Right, go ahead."
"What can you tell us about it?"
"Pretty much everything," Horizon shrugs. "Well they cobbled together four corpses to make it, one was a base and the others for the Quirks. Shock-Absorption, SuperPower, Super-Regeneration, a perfect All Might killing combo."
"That matches what Eraser said Shigaraki was boasting about," Nezu says.
"You got all that from touching Nomu?" Yagi asks.
"Yeah, it was nasty," Horizon says. "The thing was a walking corpse so I didn't mind cutting it up. It wasn't even sentient, only the parts of the brain needed to accept commands were working, the strain of multiple Quirks is too much for a body to handle, something had to give."
"Any idea of how it was done?" Yagi asks, a bit of trepidation in his voice. "With medical operations or did it seem a bit more…natural…"
Horizon raises a brow at that, "well I could tell it involved a lot of drugs and operations, the pieces were put together and grafted before the brain was rewired, Super-Regeneration helped pull it all together, but that's a one in two hundred thousand Quirk, if it's even that common."
Yagi, Tsukauchi, and Nezu share a look of relief, glad to hear that it wasn't as simple as someone placing a hand on a villain and giving him multiple Quirks. 1
"And about Kurogiri?" Nezu asks.
"Warp Gate guy," Horizon sighs. "Didn't get to touch him, I just kept canceling his Warp Gates from wherever I was in USJ at time. It has a pretty obvious tell for me, not the first Warp Gate I've encountered."
"Really!" Both Tsukauchi and Yagi are surprised, but Nezu just nods along.
"Right, her, but this was of a completely different nature," Nezu says.
"Plus this one didn't need an anchor," Horizon adds. "Worked by either coordinates or lock-on, not sure. But After I warped everyone back to my homeroom he pulled us back into USJ, our feet were already in the mist so I didn't want to cancel it or try to rip us out–"
"Good call," Yagi says. "That could have gone bloody."
"I figured as much," Horizon says. "Then I just cut up Nomu, you pretty much know the rest."
"I see," Tsukauchi finishes writing everything Horizon said. "Anything else?"
"Yeah, I think the villains were targeting me, anything on that?" Everyone in the room stiffens at that.
"There was mention of that from Aizawa," Nezu says. "The villains said that since All Might wasn't there they would kill the secondary target, you. But the fact that they were also able to identify you, that is concerning."
"Unless they got in touch with one of my patients or something, but that's unlikely," Horizon says. "Nobody would hand over a miracle cure. Coupled with the fact that they knew we would be at USJ and who would be there…you've got a leak." 4
"Possibly," Nezu says. "But I'd rather not jump to that conclusion, we need to have a united front instead of all suspecting each other, especially right now."
"I just hope you find the leak before I do," Horizon grumbles out. 4
"For their sake, I hope so too," Nezu says. "Anyway, now we only have to deal with the matter of our PR nightmare, all eighty villains have been arrested and are already en route to Tartarus, including Nomu."
"And the school was searched, so my job here is done," Tsukauchi stands and politely nods to everyone. "I'll let you all deal with this while I continue investigating this League Of Villains."
"Thank you for all your hard work Tsukauchi," Nezu politely bows to the detective before he leaves the room.
After Tsukauchi leaves Horizon relaxes a bit more, "so, is this crap stopping the Sports Festival, because that really messes up my plan…"
"I think it best that we continue as usual, with added security," Nezu says, ignoring Yagi's worried look. "We need to show the public and our students that this incident won't hinder us at all."
"I suppose that's right," Yagi says. "And M–our students need the opportunity to make their proper debut to the world." 6
"Good, because I've had the info packs ready to send to news outlets for a while," Horizon says. "When I win the sports festival and everyone is searching my name they'll find what I want them to find." 2
"Careful now Young Horizon," Yagi says. "If you're too confident victory could slip away from you. People are most vulnerable when they think they've won."
"I'm not arrogant," Horizon says. "It's a proper assessment of my skill compared to everyone else I've seen, honestly the closest is probably Bakugo and he's hot garbage compared to me."
"Well I'll be sure to watch your performance closely," Yagi says. 1
"One thing, since my Quirk is warping, it's legal for me to summon my sword right?"
"Completely, after the game officially begins that is," Nezu says. "But if you cause too much damage with it you'll be disqualified, the same goes for everyone and their Quirks too." 14
"Easy win then," Horizon says.
"Well now that we've handled those things, I just need to figure out the PR nightmare this situation has caused. People are already demanding All Might step down for the safety of the students," Nezu says sadly.
"Why not tell the truth?" Horizon asks flatly.
"What do you mean?" Yagi asks.
"Well, if you just consider it all at face value, villains made this incredibly intricate master plan expending a crap ton of resources to kill All Might, only to be stopped by a class of first years three days into school, their homeroom teacher and a rescue hero that almost never fights. Villains suck and UA looks good and–"
"And," Nezu cuts him off. "You'll want us to name you specifically and credit you with taking down their weapon and disrupting their Warp Gate user, playing an instrumental part in our victory, and putting the spotlight on yourself even before the sports festival."
"Well," Horizon shrugs. "It's not like we'd be lying."
"But we'd place our students in the crosshairs of any revenge attacks, and antagonize the villains by humiliating them," Nezu points out, a serious frown on his face. "That's why I already disregarded this option, while I am proud of my students we still don't know the full extent of the League Of Villains."
"Yeah, but you'd put most of the heat on me, and I'm certainly good bait," Horizon says
"Hmm, if another attack happens and any student gets hurt we'd be in a lot more trouble after pulling such a stunt," Nezu says. "I already plan to more properly insulate the school and all our teaching schedules." 1
"Smart move," Yagi says. "And I should make a better effort to actually be here, I got sidetracked doing heroics and wasn't even here when my students needed me…"
"Agreed," Horizon says harshly. "You made a deal, honor it, no matter what. Breaking contracts is grounds to be put down, remember that."
Yagi just looks at him a bit nervously, "right…yeah." 1
"Well I should get the press statement out," Nezu says. " I'll follow Horizon's plan, showing that everyone at UA is capable will look much better, I don't want any students scared to come to our school."
Nezu immediately takes out a tablet and types up a proper statement. And twenty minutes later it's posted.
"Already at five million views and it's only been seconds!" Nezu chuckles.
Horizon's phone immediately begins going off, he unlocks it to see his 'Yay!' profile going crazy.
"And I'm already at a million followers," he can't help but laugh. "Man those hero-worshipping idiots are too easy…"
"Hey now, you shouldn't call your fans that," Yagi says.
"Tch, fuck those sheeple…" 16
BEEP BEEP BEEP! 2
Yagi's phone goes off, he reaches for it so quickly you'd think it burnt him.
"Emergency Hero Network alert," he says, then his face looks drained of all life as he sees the article. He places it on the table for Nezu and Horizon to see, an entire city block turned to rubble. Dozens of armored trucks and cop cars were crushed and tossed about as if they were nothing. 2
"What the hell did that, where is that?" Horizon asks.
"That, was the League Of Villains convoy," Yagi says. "Apparently they were attacked by something, hit with a EMP and attacked before anyone could respond, no survivors or witnesses, but lots of missing prisoners, including a certain trio…" 1
"Let me guess," Nezu groans. "Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and Nomu…" 1
Yagi just nods sadly, knowing this fight was far from over… 3
END CHAPTER–
So I failed to explain properly the interaction between Amputate and Super-Regeneration last chapter and a lot of people got mad, it'll come up again and I'll go more in-depth at that point, just need you to trust me until then, Law is still op :) 44
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Chapter 43: CHAPTER 040(Understandable Assumptions) 3
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in a dimly lit room, All For One is in his usual black formal suit, his head exposed, various tubes inserted into his skin to help keep him alive as he sits with his oldest friend.
His head only had a mouth, no ears or other sensory parts, no hair, appearing burnt and battered, like a rotting potato that a child stitched together. 4
The giant 225cm -7ft4-tall man, just barely taller than All Might, relaxes in his comfortable chair and listens to Dr. Garaki prattle on about his creations, the man's pride in his Nomu's boundless as always, only second to his admiration of All For One himself, not even the value of his own life could match those things.
Dr. Garaki was a short and portly man with large glasses and a thick white mustache contrasting his bald head. Appearing no older than sixty, but in truth, he was the second oldest person on the planet, at over 120 years old, second only to All For One, a being that has existed since the first generation of Quirks. 3
"Any news Kyudai?" All For One asks in a deep yet calm voice, and the doctor just sighs as he looks at the screens in front of him.
"Honestly this is a waste of time," the man grumbles, the only person in the world who could speak to the demon lord so casually. "I don't get why we even gave that brat those two Nomus, especially Kurogiri, after we took over a decade to create his Warp Gate Quirk, that damn man-child could never be your successor master." 6
"Tomura is still young, Kyudai, he will make mistakes–"
"And get two of our Nomus caught," the man grumbles.
"Yes, but we already have someone en route to rescue them…all three of them, and collect the simple thugs to make more Nomus."
"To think that I may one day have to work with that child," Garaki begins silently crying at the thought, looking at his dear friend and master with sadness in his eyes. "If only I could heal your body, then you could rule forever as we've always wanted." 4
"I know doctor, but that dream died when All Might and I had our last encounter, now he is teaching, certainly trying to find someone to inherit his power, his next bet for the Symbol Of Peace, so I must do the same and pass everything to a successor, wouldn't you agree?" 2
Garaki sighs, "I just wish I could have done more, a hundred years of experimentation, yet I can't save the person who matters most to me…I feel useless." 15
"No no no Kyudai, it's not your fault," All For One comforts his friend. "You are the only person in this world who cannot be replaced, my oldest friend and confidant, in fact, your usefulness has even outlived me…or at least it will." 3
Garaki can't help but shed another tear at those words, but he's unable to accept what forgiveness All For One was offering.
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Garaki turns back to the screen, "it seems UA has released a report, now we can get some idea of what happened at the USJ."
"Indeed, our trojan told us one part of the story, but I'd like to see how they spin this tale," All For One says. "How will UA handle the media after they've been attacked, and the Symbol Of Peace wasn't even there to help, a difficult situation, but I'm sure Nezu will solve it."
"Yes, that High Spec wielding bear-mouse," Garaki grumbles as the news report reads the document aloud. "If it were possible to create a brain that could handle that Quirk we could dominate the world, easily."
"Assuming we could even get to him," All For One says. "UA has some of the most meticulous and weaponized security in the world, and he never leaves his fortress. It's like a private country within Japan, it's honestly a miracle the USJ attack was even a success." 5
"Thankfully you have people everywhere," Garaki says.
A few minutes later and the news report is complete, propping up Horizon, Thirteen, and Eraser, while putting down the villains for foolishly attacking UA, eighty villains infiltrated, and all were arrested, including their abomination of a superweapon, now publicly known as Nomu.
In the end, the villains didn't manage to damage any of the students, and a quick trip to Recovery Girl fixed both pros.
"Exactly as we heard, it seems his classmate was the main problem…that Horizon kid," Garaki said, not thinking much of the fact that villains were captured, they'd be back soon enough anyway. "But to think he beat Brainless and nullified Kurogiri, very impressive." 16
"More than just impressive Kyudai, superhuman," All For One says, a vicious smile on his lips. "It wasn't clear before, but I believe this confirms it. First Nezu claims he is capable of being the next Symbol Of Peace, then our friend inside tells us his Quirk is warping, among other things. But now he has offensive power that I only suspected people like All Might, Endeavour, and Star and Stripe to possess, quite a scary combo." 2
"You think he has One For All? That All Might passed his Quirk onto this child," Garaki thinks about it for a moment and can't help but agree. "That would explain how he beat Brainless that was built to kill All Might, but how would we know for sure? We already had our people in the Hero Public Safety Commission check, his private record just says Hand Of God."
"Because of Nezu."
"Nezu?" Garaki asks, not putting the pieces together.
"Yes, he has been blocking all of our contacts, any attempt we made to track or contact Horizon this past year was blocked, we couldn't tell by who, but it could only be Nezu. We assumed the miracle doctor had friends in high places, but now we know he has a sponsor at the very top of this world." 2
"Then it's a good thing we didn't manage to make contact with him to get you an appointment for healing," Garaki sighs in relief. "Things could have gone very poorly, and we don't have any way to deal with his warping since its so instantaneous…with a massive range too."
"Yes, but this report also made it obvious that Horizon is the next One For All user," he says, confusing the doctor slightly. 3
"I'm sorry but I don't follow, the report only said what we already confirmed happened," Garaki says.
"Yes, exactly. But Nezu would never put a student's name in such a report and antagonize us, even if he thinks the entire League Of Villains was arrested, he would quicker pin everything on the teachers and All Might to make them targets instead of students, this shows his absolute unshakable faith in Horizon to defend himself from any villains we send after him, its alarming how much confidence he has in the boy, even if it's only so because they believe I'm dead." 5
"Hmm, One For All would explain that level of confidence in the kid for sure, should we take the bait and attack him, we don't have any more Nomus that can match Brainless so it'll be a while before we're ready," Garaki says. "But taking One For All is worth it."
"No, that won't work, my body as it is right now can't handle the power amplification of my little brother's Quirk. And even if I went in person he could simply warp away, I would need a reason for him to stay in the fight, and hostages don't work since he will simply remove them too," All For One says, then he frowns. "I'll have to make things personal, make him want to fight me." 19
"Our spy says he's an asshole so that'll be tough," Garaki says flatly. "Honestly unless we can get Nezu or someone he cares about I don't see how this will work." 5
"Well luckily we are not alone, I'll contact all the people I can, we'll dig up all the information we can on Horizon, he must have someone or something we can take to piss him off, every man has something they care about. Oh, and I'll contact the Aoyama family as well, make sure they know their new role in all of this…" 13
"And what about the so-called League Of Villains?" Garaki asks, clearly annoyed at having to indulge All For One's desire to groom Shigaraki.
"When they escape it will cause much panic, especially considering who we sent and how he operates, it would be best to shift the focus away from UA to ease the mind of those students."
"The other Hero Courses across Japan?" Garaki asks.
"Precisely, and it will play into Nezu's plan to make Horizon looks even better, we need him confident in himself to the point that he would fight anyone, and we need UA and All Might safe from media scrutiny, killing someone is easier if they stay in one place six days a week after all, much better than when All Might was running about Japan and Horizon was traveling the world."
"And how would you like to deal with the other Hero Courses?" Garaki asks. "After he gets back from rescuing them we could just warp him into those schools, it'd be easy."
"No," All For One disregards that idea entirely. "Let's ramp up production of Nomus, Tomura needs his own army, he isn't ready to command you or him just yet, far from it actually. We'll send a few dozen Nomus out to one school at a time, but make sure they're all weak. We want the media shaming the other schools for failing while UA has a first year that was able to stop a monster intended to kill All Might. Oh, and you can collect the corpses to make more." 6
"Hmm, that many will take at least a month." 1
"If we needed them capable of accepting orders yes," All For One says. "But these are just wild animals to be unleashed on students to stack bodies, we'll make them quickly and let them run wild until the pros put them down, and Kurogiri will collect the bodies."
Garaki smiles at that, "that much genetic material will greatly help my research, and a lot of those kids probably have strong Quirks too."
"Not to mention this will further make them believe that I'm dead, because why would I ever expend resources that don't directly hurt All Might, it's so out of character that it can't be me," he smiles victoriously at the thought of them thinking he's gone. 1
"A single move with so many layers, your evil genius is truly unmatched my friend," Garaki says. "Now I need to be ready to operate on many fresh subjects…" 6
"Yes doctor, if all goes well I'll have to build you yet another lab," All For One chuckles darkly before loud beeping interrupts them.
Garaki takes out his phone and checks the message.
"Good news I expect, as usual from him," All For One says. 2
"Mhm, both the Nomus are recovered, Kurogiri is a bit damaged from the ice and Brainless needs to be put back together," Garaki says happily. 3
"And Tomura?"
"Oh, the brat is fine too, they're already at another safehouse," Garaki immediately begins typing on his computer. "I'll start looking into which schools we should hit first, Japan has thousands of Hero Courses, aside from Shiketsu we need to make sure the targets we select have people with useful Quirks." 1
"Good, and have Kurogiri warp me to their location when the coast is clear, I'd like to go in person to greet them, after all, my presence is the greatest reward I can give him."
Garaki nods in agreement, "well he never fails, and he exists to serve and protect you, honestly the fact that his body can handle seven Quirks without any modifications helped make the foundation for my Nomu program, I can't imagine a better bodyguard and attack dog, if anyone deserves to see you in person it's him…"
All For One smiles proudly, "yes, I too am quite impressed by him, Gigantomachia…" 14
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 44: CHAPTER 041(Declared: War On Heroes)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in his kitchen Law enjoys a simple dinner of white rice, black mushrooms, and grilled chicken.
After a long and admittedly difficult workout, Law sits at the counter and turns on the TV, taking a sip of his water as the news starts.
"Welcome to Shinjitsu news," the anchor starts, a slender older gentleman with water for hair, styled like a constantly flowing waterfall but never reaching past his shoulders or even touching his grey suit. "Following the villain attack at UA's disaster simulation facility yesterday, new information has been uncovered."
Law takes another sip of his water and continues eating, eyes still on the screen as the man continues.
"The statement released by UA only hours after the attack has been completely confirmed by the administration, the police have also confirmed via statements and claims the villains made during the attack that they fully intended to attack and kill All Might, our Symbol Of Peace.
Seventy-seven low-level thugs were gathered as well as the ringleader, a blue-haired man with dried and cracked grey skin and multiple detached human hands gripping his body, he goes by the name 'Shigaraki' as far as officials know."
A picture of Shigaraki appears, bound in metal restraints.
"His Quirk is a disintegration Quirk, when all five of his fingers on either hand touch anything it immediately begins falling apart, organic and inorganic matter alike.
Accompanying him was his presumed second in command, the man identified by the name 'Kurogiri', a villain possessing the most rare and sought after of all Quirk types, a warping Quirk, specifically Warp Gate.
His real face and body structure are unknown as the purple mist created by his Quirk never leaves his body."
A picture of Kurogiri appears, bound from head to toe in metal restraints, the purple mist seeping through the gaps in the metal.
"Guess he needs to move his body to activate Warp Gate," Horizon can't help but smile at that, another way Hand Of God is better.
"And finally we have the bio-engineered creature, codenamed a Nomu," this time a much less clear picture appears, a distance shot from within USJ by one of the few working security drones that were signal blocked from the main campus, but thankfully the cameras worked.
The picture was of Nomu standing beside Shigaraki, Eraser and Thirteen were in the corner of the frame, surely moments before Horizon entered to finish the fight.
"This creature was created by horrific means, using four separate corpses as genetic material to force their Quirks into one being. It has no sentience and is technically dead, a walking corpse only existing to obey commands. Truly these villains have hit depths previously undreamt of by even the most wretched of scum," the man shakes his head in disgust before he continues.
"This creature was created specifically to kill All Might, it had a combination of Quirks which have thankfully been identified, by the work of Horizon during the fight and the arrogant boasting of Shigaraki. Shock Absorption, SuperPower, and Super-Regeneration."
They show a few short clips of Nomu punching, ripping apart the landscape with pure air pressure.
"Nezu really went all out with building my reputation," Horizon chuckles, fully understanding what the next part of the announcement would be. 2
"Thankfully the villains failed to hurt any students, and the Pros only had minor scrapes," the man said, sounding relieved and somehow proud. "While the ringleader and other villains were distracted for most of the incident the Nomu was defeated," a picture of the destroyed fountain and diced-up Nomu appears on the screen.
"The remaining thugs were easily dealt with by the students until more heroes arrived," the man says, his voice clearly swelling in anticipation. "The leader Shigaraki and his assistant Kurogiri were blocked by the present Pros, Eraser-Head, and rescue hero Thirteen. And the Nomu was defeated, by a student no less…"
He pauses for a moment, and Law rolled his eyes. "Talk about building hype." 7
"That's right, a student from class 1A defeated the monster that they built to kill All Might," a picture of some students walking back into the main campus, stepping off the bus, appeared on the screen. Clearly shot from beyond the UA boundary in the street, the image was barely visible.
"Ok that's more than I expected," Law admits. Seeing a picture of him, dressed in full Hero Costume, walking beside a slightly blurry Momo and Tokoyami, with a clear arrow pointed at him. 8
"This student has been allegedly identified as the 'Horizon' from UA's report," the man says excitedly. "Credited with taking down the Nomu -which was made to kill All Might-, as well as nullifying Kurogiri's Warp Gate to prevent further havoc and violence. Truly a promising start to the career of a future hero. No other information is known about him and UA won't comment further, but I'm sure we'll be seeing him at the Sports Festival!" 1
Law smiles at that, "yeah, when I win…"
"But sadly the villains were not done here," the anchor says. "While the strength of UA's class 1A and two of their Pros was enough to defend their students, today has proven that is not the case of other Hero Courses across Japan."
Law sits up at that, not sure what the hell he was talking about.
"After their bloody and devastating escape from custody yesterday, Shigaraki, Kurogiri, and the USJ Nomu have yet to make another appearance. But a scourge of much weaker Nomus has attacked seven Hero Courses today alone. Dozens have been reported dead at each attack, and most of the corpses were taken for what officials believe to be further experimentation and creation of Nomus," the man sounds moments away from crying. 2
Law looks genuinely confused at that, "why didn't they just wait and attack UA again? That doesn't make much sense…"
"It seems that the villains care about more than just killing our Symbol Of Peace," the man says bitterly. "They want to destroy all our hopes and dreams, to eradicate our guardians and the great places we've dedicated to training and raising them. They want to kill all heroes, and yes, they are certainly a fearsome foe…"
The man's expression shifts from sad and somber to determined, almost angry as his flowing water hair begins swirling and bubbling.
"But we won't break that easily!" he yells out, raising a fist to the sky, a fanatical tinge in his voice. "UA and their first years of class 1A have proven that these villains can be defeated! So I'm sure that the Pros will capture them, and if they ever have the chance to come face to face with All Might, he'll Smash them into pieces and lock them in Tartarus with no issue, as he always does to the scum that threatens the safety of our beloved country!" 7
The man tries to catch his breath from his rant that Law would bet surely inspired the masses.
"Well shit," Law chuckles. "That worked a whole lot better than expected…and Nezu really went above and beyond with that picture of Nomu's defeat," Law takes out his phone and sees Horizon's Follower count steadily marching toward 3 Million, sitting at half that number when he sat down to eat. "Heroes live and die by popularity and public opinion, so I'll be living very well."
The man finally composes himself, his hair returning to gently flowing streams, "however, unfortunately not everyone shares these hopeful views. Public outrage and scrutiny at the security and conduct at the attacked Hero Courses have never been higher," pictures of protests and borderline riots appear on the screen.
Law rolls his eyes, "scared people not sure what to do when their heroes start seemingly failing, not surprising at all since most of them probably can't even fight some Quirkless brat with a knife." 4
The screen then has a picture of crowds holding candles and placing flowers at the gates of multiple Hero Course schools. "Others have come out in force to share their sympathy for the lives lost because of these villains and their monsters. And some are even questioning the capability of the Pros at the affected schools, with good reason of course. And a vocal few are calling for All Might to stop teaching and resume his patrols, equating this attack to his lack of presence on the streets." 1
"Bullshit, he's always ditching school to babysit you useless fucks," Law grumbles, now finishing up his meal and moving to do the dishes. 3
"But no matter the outcome, one thing is clear," the news anchor says. "These villains have declared war on all heroes, no matter if you are training or a fully licensed Pro, and I know our heroes won't let this stand, so if the League Of Villains is watching this, my message to you is, 'Enjoy these last few days of freedom, because they're quickly counting down…,' now onto other news, Hawks–" 7
Law cuts off the TV immediately.
"A war on Heroes," he considers it for a moment. "Well, wars need War Heroes on both sides… guess I've found another easy way to climb the ranks, now I should call Nezu and thank him for the popularity boost…" 10
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 45: CHAPTER 042(Superhuman Potential)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
–Friday, 2 Days After USJ…
Law sat at the patio furniture outside his home. The massive 20m by 10m pool was clear and stagnant under the mid-day sun, tempting him after his workout.
Leaning forward, wearing only his workout shorts, elbows resting on the table as he drinks some water from his bottle, MMA gloves and hand wraps in front of him, new but already torn up from constant abuse.
Law leans back and takes a deep breath, body covered in sweat and aching from another successful workout, but it wasn't enough.
"Not nearly enough," he grumbles, thinking aloud. "I won the fight but I didn't really beat Nomu, not enough…and my style just isn't compatible with something like that. Since the League Of Villains escaped with it then I may have to face it, or stronger Nomus in the future. But how do I solve the problem?" 13
He takes another large gulp of water and runs through the possibilities.
"Super-Regeneration is one in a two hundred million maybe, I doubt they'll have more Nomus with that, I should focus on the other aspects first. I never thought a Power Type would be able to make me actually try but that thing had a serious mix of power and durability, I won, but it wasn't clean, and it was far from economical or efficient," he grumbles, remembering how tired he was after USJ. 19
Law considers the scenario more thoroughly, "the main threat was the immense speed paired with my energy expenditure, I've got Shambles, Amputate, Incision, Booster Shot, Scan, Counter Shock, and Injection Shock, in addition to the cost of creating and maintaining a Room. 3
Amputate, Counter Shock, and Booster Shot are by far the most costly, but those are the ones I would need the most to deal with another Nomu, along with Shambles to dodge attacks. I need to either develop something that can deal with Nomu's power and regeneration or figure out how to make my moves more economical…or increase my stamina pool even more." 7
He sighs and rubs his head, "fuck, I've rarely really fought Power Types and they've always gone down in one hit, this Super-Regeneration shit is a nightmare. It takes me months or years to plan and execute new moves, not to mention how long it takes for me to practice enough that I can use them smoothly." 14
Horizon warps his phone into his hand, reading the most recent news alert, the 19th Hero Course attack by the League Of Villains and their army of Nomus.
"Looks like regenerating Nomus are super rare, and none as strong as the USJ Nomu, I've got a lot of offense already, if I'm gonna be a hero there may be times when I can't move myself or people for whatever reason, and I'm sure an army of monsters with multiple Quirks can have a reason or two… I'll need some kind of defensive move for a change." 10
Horizon taps the table for a minute, considering how he could solve this problem, never before needing to consider defense because he could always warp away, but now he actually had to at least pretend to care about other people and their lives. He rolls his eye at the thought. 1
SNAP!
He snaps his fingers as the thought forms," I don't need to create a new offense if I just upgrade the ones I have. Incision amplifies my slashes, paired with Booster Shot it can slash through a lot of stuff, if I increase my base strength and Incision then I can at least stall better until openings show up…assuming I have to fight that same Nomu again."
He quickly opens his phone and searches for 'Endeavor catches falling car,' and he instantly gets hundreds of video results.
Tapping the first he's greeted by a video of Endeavor hovering in the air and catching a car as it falls from the overpass above him, then descending to the ground and gently placing it down, with a lot of obvious effort.
"Ok he made that look a lot easier than I expected," Law admits, Endeavor was his gold standard for most things he considers when judging a hero. Perfect Quirk Mastery, perfect battlefield command, a great strategic mind, and excellent at Quirk analysis in battle, now he had to add this to the list. 14
"I don't know if I can tap into my latent superhuman potential to that level," he mutters. "Since his Quirk works by changing his skin and body structure and giving him a lot more energy we should be in the same boat. He's like an inch taller than me but I'm only 190lbs -86kg-, and he's like 260 -118kg-, that's a lot more muscle backing him."
Law considers this approach. Taking a more brawler style in certain situations and using his Quirk more sparingly. That's what Endeavor does and his Quirk has clear limits, he needs energy to use it and he makes sure to space out his big attacks from what Law can see, likely due to overheating he figures.
Certain Quirks give passive effects, for example, Iida's legs are super strong to compensate for the Engines in his calves. Other Quirks have bonuses that seemingly don't make much sense, like Endeavor and his low-level superhuman strength, even though his Quirk is all about fire.
This 'superhuman potential' is exactly what Law intended to take advantage of. Since his Quirk requires a high level of passive energy in his body the limits of baseline humans, -Quirkless people-, don't exactly apply to him in some regards. 3
This is mainly why he believes Quirkless people to be obsolete and that they simply cannot live up to the potential of those with Quirks. Because they operate with the now ancient expectations humans had, but now anyone with a Quirk could potentially exceed these limits in ways that their Quirk simply wouldn't lead you to believe. 1
'Quirks are just nature's way of pointing out that your limiters are off, that you've taken the next step to evolve,' is exactly how Law would put it. 3
"I'll have to bulk up, go from lean 193cm to maybe a few steps closer to Endeavor, but that means…" he frowns at the very thought. "Fuck, I already eat so damn much because of this Quirk and now I'll have to eat even more, and probably sleep more…that's gonna be a pain in the ass." 13
For the next half hour Law sits there crunching numbers and ordering a lot more food from his grocery delivery service. Realizing he'll have to drink a second large protein shake every day and either fit three more meals into his diet or make his existing meals a lot bigger.
"I wish I could just photosynthesize," he sighs. "Just wake up, drink water, lay in the sun, and enjoy the gains…lucky damn plants…I bet Ibara can do that if she tries hard enough, would make sense with vines for hair…" 5
Saving his meal and workout plan Law opens the class group chat for the very first time, seeing over a thousand unread messages over the last two days. Since this chat was only made minutes before boarding the bus to USJ he can already guess what they were talking about.
He sees a few mentions of his name with people tagging him to get his attention, but he just ignores them, clicking the members' list for the group to see Momo as the administrator, then scrolling halfway down the list.
"Gotcha, you're strong but not All Might strong, you'll be a good baseline for me to push myself to insane levels of base strength…" he says while hitting call on his classmate's icon.
A few seconds later and on the second ring his call is answered.
"Uh, hello?" Sato asks warily.
"Yo, Sato, you busy?"
"Wait, who is this?"
"Horizon," Law says, not understanding the confusion.
"Wait…why isn't your voice all robot-like, it's usually kinda roboty," Sato says.
Law looks genuinely confused at why this was so strange, "because I took off the visor since I'm at home." 1
"That comes off?! Dude, we thought that was your face!" 2
"Huh! Wait! Did everyone think that was my face? Is that why nobody ever asked about it?"
"Pretty much man, I mean we all had some chats about it and figured it best not to ask, I mean why else would you wear it 24/7"
"Because I don't want everyone knowing my business?" Law asks expectantly.
"Nah that doesn't make sense, why wear that thing in school anyway," Sato disregards his logic immediately. "Wait, is the body glove also just you being paranoid?" 1
"It's not paranoid," Law growls out.
"Dunno man, sounds like what a paranoid person would say…" 5
Law pinches the bridge of his nose and just sighs, "ok, can we get to why I called you please?"
"Oh right, sure thing class rep, what's up?"
"It's about your Quirk, strength enhancer right?" Law asks.
"Yeah it's called Sugar Rush, I eat 10 grams of sugar and get a time 5 boost in strength for three minutes. But as the time runs out I get really sleepy, then I crash. Every 10 grams more increases my strength by another one time and extends the limit, but only a little bit on the timer part, and I crash even harder afterward," Sato explains with a bit of hesitance, feeling rather self-conscious describing his clearly limited Quirk to Horizon of all people. 3
"Hmm, a rushdown Quirk that's good for one quick charge that's sure to take down some villains," Law says. "Clear strength and limits to be trained too, good potential."
"Thanks man!" Sato's voice suddenly had a small layer of pride.
"I'm actually calling you because I'm starting a new training regiment at home and needed someone to compare to."
"Oh, what do you need to know?"
"How much you can bench without your Quirk, I can solve the rest from there," Law says.
"Oh, just 700, naturally my Quirk makes it easier for me to hit high numbers since it's all about muscles. It basically puts my regular muscles into a 'power mode,' for a bit." 12
Even through the phone Law could tell Sato was shy about his personal records, even as impressive as they are.
"I see, I'm only at 400 right now, I think I can get my base stronger than yours but obviously you have a multiplier and I don't… that'll be a good challenge," Law says.
"That's awesome! And if you ever need a gym buddy you know how to find me!"
"I don't work out in the body glove or visor, sweat and all that, so I rather train solo, nothing personal."
"It's cool man no hard feelings, I'm just happy to help."
"Since you helped me I should at least return the favor, it's only fair," Law says, trying to keep the debts even between him and his classmates as much as possible. "I see you eating sugar cubes and cookies during training to trigger your Quirk, right?"
"Yeah, I bake em myself, taste great and the sugar is for my Quirk," Sato says plainly.
"Yeah well, half of being a hero is public image, so cut that shit out unless you only plan to market yourself to kids. Head to the support department and get some high-density sugar pills made, easier to store and you can label them 'Power Pills' or something for branding, and you can sell them as candy or whatever when you go pro, they won't taste as good but you'll get more sugar per handful and won't take as long to enter a fight." 3
"Oh wow…" Sato pauses for a moment. "I didn't even think about the support department being able to do stuff like that, I'll get on that right away class rep. Thanks for the advice!"
"Just returning the favor, I'll see you Monday."
"Yeah yo–" Law hangs up before Sato finishes talking. 6
"Honestly, he and cookie girl would have an epic bakery," Law mutters, nodding along at the idea of a bakery that sells meter-wide cookies. "Now that's a dream I can get behind…" 12
Gulping down the rest of his water Law gets up to go enjoy a shower, tonight Law Matani was going out on the town…
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 46: CHAPTER 043(Working The Press)
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Walking along the sidewalk in his full uniform Horizon glances down to his wrist, reading the time on his white a blue Rolex, seeing its barely half-seven. 4
"Right on time," he mutters. The early morning sun beaming down on him, to his right is a massive twenty-meter-tall black wall.
UA's new barrier, reinforced while school was closed for the past five days. Two feet of solid black steel wrapped all around the school's perimeter. 1
ROOM!
He opens a room for two hundred meters around him, sensing a mob of reporters and other members of the press hounding every student as they enter UA, the first day back since the USJ incident. 1
These people were the reason he was walking to school instead of warping from his building directly onto campus, his name and face, or at least Horizon and the picture of his visor had been trending for the past few days.
In the midst of more and more attacks on Hero Courses, Pros dying as well as students, by the dozens each time, he was credited with stopping the most powerful of all the Nomus, the USJ Nomu, one that has yet to make a second appearance.
His 'Yay!' profile has been on fire ever since, everyone bombarding him with questions and requests for interviews, but he's ignored them all, until now.
Entering the final stretch he sees the press mob ahead, nearly blocking off the school gates. Delving a bit deeper with his SCAN he senses turrets and other drones in hidden compartments of the school's lawn.
'How do they even build things that fast…' he can't help but wonder, always amazed by the efficiency of Nezu, Cementoss, and Power Loader.
"It's Horizon!" he hears one of the reports yell, a petite dark-haired lady in a blue suit, mic in hand and a cameraman beside her. She excitedly points and breaks into a full sprint. 6
The entire crowd follows, moving the dozen meters between them so fast that he could feel someone getting trampled at the back.
The entire crowd clears the gateway for the other grateful students to pass and completely blockade Horizon.
"Good morning," he greets politely, his slightly mechanical voice surprising them somewhat.
A chorus of greetings responds to him, and he even hears some murmurs of people wondering about why he wears his visor, everyone who saw the report only saw his class in full costume so they expected it to be part of his costume.
"Horizon, can we please ask you some questions?! The public is in dire need of more information regarding the events of this past week," the same lady takes charge. All cameras raise and turn to him, recorders and notepads rise up and everyone gets quiet.
"Sure," he says, surprising everyone. They've been at UA since last week Monday when All Might was announced as a teacher, and not even students would give a proper statement, they never expected to get information about this war against heroes so easily.
All eyes flicker over to the woman, a single bead of sweat runs down her face as she realizes everyone was suddenly counting on her to ask the right questions and not ruin this golden opportunity.
The biggest story in Japan for the last decade, and they had the main participant in front of them, a clear golden ticket.
"Right, do you feel UA failed in any way to protect you and the other students during the USJ attack, the famed UA Barrier was breached and students were attacked, you could have possibly been hurt, do you put any blame on the school for this security breach?"
"No," he says immediately, surprising everyone. "I've seen some of the time and effort put into keeping the students here safe, UA has the best security of any Hero Course in the world, and it's comparable to most places just short of Tartarus. The only reason it couldn't stop the League Of Villains is because of Kurogiri's Warp Gate Quirk. In our superhuman society, it's virtually impossible to defend against everything, and warping abilities are by far the rarest and most dangerous, especially for matters of infiltration. All the resources in the world can't stop a villain from warping if they really want to."
Much of the crowd nods along as the woman responds, "you say that, yet you were credited with halting any further warping, preventing the villains from regrouping and escaping, do you have any insight on how you did that, sharing such important information could truly limit the usefulness of the villain's Quirk. They've already attacked 37 Hero Courses across Japan and the death toll is well in the hundreds, do you not feel that you have a responsibility to best educate others to protect themselves against these enemies?" 1
"That's impossible," Horizon says bluntly. "It's unfortunate that so many have died to those monsters, but as far as I can imagine, I'm the only counter to Warp Gate, my Quirk is entirely unique for many individual reasons, far more powerful than even Kurogiri's. But sadly there is only one of me and I'm at UA, this is just the life of a hero, fighting impossible odds to protect others, we don't get to run away just because the villains have an advantage, they almost always have an advantage, the other Hero Courses will endure and rise up even stronger than before I'm sure of it, because that's what heroes do, right?" 9
They all nod along solemnly, feeling an odd mix of emotions from his somewhat inspirational, but ultimately bittersweet words.
The woman gives a weak smile and lifts the mic up slightly toward him, still looking up at his towering figure. "And how do you feel about the fact that villains are attacking Hero Courses as a whole? Some are blaming the villains while others are blaming the heroes, as someone who helped in thwarting one of these attacks what is your opinion on the matter?"
"It's a completely logical move," Horizon says bluntly, causing everyone to wince. "It's not morally right or a good image, obviously, but villains don't play by the rules of society, that's part of their whole idea. Hero Courses train the people that will likely lock each and every one of them in prison for a long time, why would they ever wait until graduation to fight instead of killing students within days of schools opening? How many villains do you think wish they ran into All Might and Endeavor back when they were students and much weaker than they are now?"
"I see," she says. "And about the Hero side of things?"
"This was an eventuality, but I'm not quite sure why people are so surprised and outraged," he shrugs. "Yes it's unfortunate that you sent your kids to school and they get killed during the first week, but now or after graduation, what's the difference, this is what you sign up for once you enter a Hero Course, and you know the enemy doesn't care about things like rules or ages. If anything the public is to blame for this tragedy…" 3
"What?! How is the public responsible for this?!" Her question and tone resonated with the mob, with red faces and scowls all around.
"Because, there are 114 Thousand active Pro-Heroes in Japan," Horizons says. "The public is so reliant on Pros to do everything for them that more and more Hero Courses are constantly popping up, it was only a matter of time before they would be attacked when villains are backing into this much of a corner. If the public were less reliant on Hero Courses constantly pumping out Pros there wouldn't be thousands of kids itching to start fighting to the death against villains right now, and this could have been avoided, but, with that being said. In superhuman society, heroes are somewhat of a necessity to keep the peace, so it's a difficult situation for all sides involved." 2
"I see," she nods along, understanding that this matter was anything but simple. "And do you have any comment on All Might taking the teaching position instead of doing heroics full time as he has for the past decades, some speculate that this is him announcing a soft retirement."
"Hmm," Horizon looks around to see everyone genuinely terrified of that idea, the Symbol Of Peace retiring, not something most citizens in Japan ever wanted. "Well All Might is 49 now, certainly around the age when people in such taxing jobs start to retire," the color drains from a dozen faces. "But, I've spoken to him a bit, and he's still incapable of ignoring anyone who needs help, that spirit is what made him the Symbol Of Peace, and it's just as strong as ever."
They all look relieved to hear those words.
"And speaking of his inability to ignore those in need, how do you feel about All Might not being there during the USJ Incident to stop the villains?"
"It's completely fine," Horizon says, this time the mob expected this answer, already getting a better idea of how he thinks. "All Might is a new teacher, he's clearly still adjusting to his role. The fact that he prefers to teach using battlefield scenarios and training rather than on the chalkboard shows that. I'm sure in time he'll get the hang of it, he was late that day because people elsewhere needed saving and he got sidetracked, but is that really something that we should call getting 'sidetracked'?"
"What do you mean?" A man in the back of the crowd asks.
"Well, on one hand, he was supposed to already be at USJ when class began, and if he was the villains wouldn't have had any hope," much of the crowd smiles at that, always proud of their Symbol Of Peace. "But on the other hand, we signed up to be heroes, right? So even if someone died I still wouldn't blame All Might one bit. We are training to risk our lives to save others, if he abandoned those people who needed saving to come and save us instead, do we really deserve to be called heroes at that point? Is sacrificing ourselves not what we signed up for? Even if we all died, those people he saved would be alive, and that's all that really matters…" 19
The reporter and many others wipe their tears, moved by the words of a true hero, and Law just rolls his eyes at it all… 8
"I see," she sniffles quietly and composes herself. "Truly a heroic view on things. And what of the UA Sports Festival in two weeks, do you feel safe attending that, that UA can protect not only the students but also the civilians that will be there?"
"I'm sure Principal Nezu will spare no expense or manpower to ensure the security of everyone, between all the Pros that teach at UA, including All Might, not to mention that Endeavor will likely be there because his son is in my class, we'll be fine," Horizon says casually.
"And speaking of your classmates, did this attack have an adverse effect on them in any way? And what can you tell us about the youngest Todoroki?"
"UA provided counseling and medical treatment, and from what I can tell they've only gotten stronger from this experience," he recalls what he saw while skimming the group chat yesterday. "And Todoroki is quiet and keeps to himself, I haven't really spoken to him much," he shrugs.
"I see, that's very good to hear at least," she gives a sincere smile. "And lastly are you excited about the UA Sports Festival, the entire world will be watching your class especially, and after those short clips of what the USJ Nomu was capable of, people have already been speculating about the overall winner, between you and Todoroki, although we don't know what either of your Quirks are…"
Horizon chuckles at that, "well, winning isn't all that matters at the festival, at least not for me. What matters is that I show the public that they can trust and have confidence in me to protect them in the future, I'd like to show them and the world that everything will be ok, because I am here…" 18
The entire crowd gets chills at that, his already heroic presence constantly building and building, and now it felt as if they were standing in front of a future top Pro. 8
No, they knew they were standing in front of a future top Pro.
The reporter wipes another tear, and he rolls his eyes once again, thankful that his visor was one way. 5
"Such an incredible outlook on this situation! I'm sure you'll do great things to help everyone in the future!" the press mob gives him a round of praise before settling back down. "And how do you plan to show us that this is your time, your era?!" the woman asks.
Horizon shrugs, "there really isn't anything I can do to prove that, that's for all of you to decide for yourselves, right? So, just keep your eyes on me, and I'll show you what I'm capable of…Just watch me…" 9
They all look at him with stars in their eyes before he checks his watch.
"I'm sorry to cut this short, but it would set a bad example if the Class Rep was late for homeroom," he says apologetically.
"Oh," the woman bows respectfully, and most of the mob copies her, "thank you for speaking to us! We've been here for days without one comment, this truly was a blessing." 1
Horizon laughs at that, "Heroes are public servants, I don't mind talking to the press, at least to let you know that everything will be alright…" 2
After some polite and thankful farewells, he quickly walks into UA, for the very first time using the main entrance. 2
Walking through the halls he sees more than a fair share of people giving him amazed and worried looks.
Some were amazed by those clips of USJ Nomu and knowing that he stopped it, and some worried that a 1st year was that powerful. That'd he'd show them up in the future.
He turned to a group of girls who were in the upper years, quietly murmuring and stealing glances at him as he walks through the halls. He gives a polite wave and half of them start blushing wildly. 9
'Ok, this is gonna be really damn fun… but I guess I'll have to keep playing up the hero bullshit for the press, whatever, its just for a few more years…' 15
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 47: CHAPTER 044(Mounting Pressure) 6
Discord: https/discord.gg/K7f8qGpvuk
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CHAPTER START– 1
Entering through the back of his homeroom Horizon is greeted by the sight of most of the class, standing around and chatting with each other.
As he begins walking to his seat Sato gives him a polite but somewhat awkward wave, "hey Horizon, how's the new workout going?" Kirishima and Deku were standing at the back of the class with him chatting, all turning as Horizon joins them. "I was just telling these guys about the UA gym, man they've got everything here, I can even work out while using my Quirk since the weights go up to tens of tons," Sato excitedly says.
"Damn," Horizon says, genuinely impressed, but not really surprised. "I don't like sweating in this get-up so I'll keep working out at home, I even bought a new heavy bag, one of the kinds that Power Types use."
"No way!" Kirishima gets excited at the thought. "Those things are crazy expensive, I wanted to ask my parents for one, but honestly I'm not that strong yet, Hardening gives more physical power but nothing like Sato and Izuku have."
Deku just stays quiet, hoping and praying Horizon continues to ignore him. 2
"That's actually why he called me," Sato says. "Wanted to know my bench press record to compare or something, something about a training routine."
"Pretty much," Horizon nods. "Figured if I can get anywhere close to your current power -atleast before you activate your Quirk-, that will be pretty helpful in the future, even if my Quirk isn't really affected by strength in most cases."
"What's the record?" Kirishima asks excitedly, and all eyes shift to Sato causing him to blush a bit. "I'm at 250lbs -114Kg-."
"Oh," Sato rubs the back of his neck. "I just hit 800lbs -362Kg-, but honestly the last few years it's barely even moved at all so I think I'm at my limit, or at least close to it."
"That's almost nine of me," Asui says as she walks over to them with Mina and Uraraka. "Crazy strength Sato, I bet you're even more amazing when you use your Quirk." 4
"4000lbs is more than most thugs can handle," Horizon says. "Pretty sure Death Arms is only at half that…but he's one of those useless D-List heroes, you can definitely aim higher than that if you're this strong at the beginning of UA." 3
Once again everyone is genuinely surprised at Horizon for not being a complete jerk, even giving a compliment.
"Yeah!" Uraraka does a small hop as she cheers on Sato. "And most rescue situations can actually be solved by your current limit so you could already have a job out there, getting people out of car wrecks and collapsed buildings, things like that!"
"But wouldn't this also mean you've got Super-Strength too?" Mina asks Horizon. "Seems like a lot when you add it to the other things you do. But you do at least seem super muscly and big, like a smaller All Might! Atleast from what I can tell since you always have on a jacket and suit." 2
"Well, yes and no," he says. "My Quirk makes me…well the best way to think of it is like I'm a perfected human, meaning if someone without a Quirk can do it, then I can do it better before I even use my Quirk, this pretty much goes for everything, including muscles and strength. So I don't have any real Super-Strength like Sato or All Might, nothing that crazy, currently I can only bench 400lbs," he shrugs. 1
Tokoyami spins around in his chair to look over at them," it's concerning that I can't tell if you're serious or not when you call yourself a 'perfected human,' don't you think?" 1
"It's more factual than anything else," Horizon says.
Nobody is sure how to respond to that.
"So what's the new workout?" Kirishima asks, mostly to break the tension.
"Nothing really changes honestly, just more steaks, weights, and protein shakes," Horizon shrugs. 7
Sato snaps his fingers, "that reminds me, I already visited the support department this morning, they said they'll have the Power Pills ready by tomorrow for me, thanks again for that idea man."
"It was the least I could do."
"Oh yeah, Principal Nezu mentioned that remember," Asui says. "He said you're like a super genius at Quirks analysis, that you even knew how to fix Midoriya's problem by pretty much looking at a picture, that's incredible. Is that what you did for Sato?" 1
"No," Horizon says. "I just told him to get the support course to make Sugar Pills to activate his quirk so he doesn't look like a joke forcing down cupcakes before fighting villains." 7
"But you could help us if you wanted to, right?" Mina asks.
"Easily, I already know what all of you have to do to either improve or completely change the way you view your Quirks, some of you don't even know what your Quirk actually does or what class it belongs to," he turns to look down at Deku as he continues. "But it's your Quirk, so figure it out yourself, can't depend on people to hold your hand for you, right?"
"Well I guess I won't ask you to help Midoriya," Asui says bluntly. 1
"Smart move Asui." 1
"You can call me Tsu," she says. "Normally only my friends can call me that…but even if you're a huge jerk we're all in the same class and trying to be heroes, so I'm sure once we get to know you you're pretty nice."
"I'll take your word for it, Tsu."
"Oh yeah!" Hagakure rushes over into the circle, grabbing Mina by the arm and both looking at Horizon. "So we were wondering…"
"What do you look like under the mask?!" they both yell at once.
Mina continues, "so Sato may have mentioned in the group chat that this whole outfit can come off and we've been curious ever since, like is it for your Quirk like Aoyama's belt? Are you shy? What is it?"
"Yeah, what do you look like under the mask?" Jiro asks, walking over with Shoji and Momo.
"I must admit I've also been curious," Momo says shyly. "But it's quite alright if you don't want to tell us, we won't force you to do anything."
"You CAN'T force me to do anything," he corrects her. "But, muscled, well defined, tattooed, and handsome, what'd you expect?" 12
All the girls in the room were currently in the large group at the back of the class, and Horizon could see them all zone in and out ogling his body. 12
He smiles devilishly at that and enjoys it until Sero's loud groan snaps them all out of it. "Maaannnn, life really does play favorites…" he rests his head on his desk in defeat. 1
Kaminari copies him and begins sulking too.
'I've got everything and nothing,' Horizon thinks as more small conversations start up. 4
Eventually, he finds himself sitting at his desk, Tokoyami beside him in his seat, Sero on Tokoyami's desk, and Momo leaning against his with Jiro standing in the walkway.
"So you really think that…?" Sero asks Horizon.
"It makes sense," Horizon shrugs. "Why would the villains attack if the heroes will be on alert now, plus they know that I can shut down the Warp Gates, and while I'm doing that All Might can deal with the USJ Nomu, even if it'll take a lot out of him UA will have a lot of other heroes at the sports festival, including his dad," he gestures back to Todoroki, who was sitting quietly and ignoring everyone. "Attacking would be stupid." 1
"But they've also got whatever caused the jailbreak," Tokoyami says. "The police suspect it to be a Nomu with Gigantification, if the footprints are anything to go by." 1
"Won't matter," Horizon says. "The USJ Nomu was a very rare instance of anything taking more than one of my attacks, without Hyper Regeneration nothing else can do that, not even All Might." 1
"That's a bold claim," Momo says. "You may be overstepping a bit by saying that."
"Nah, I've spoken to All Might, among other things…I know the limits of his Quirk," Horizon says confidently, but everyone else didn't believe him.
Only Deku knew exactly how true this statement was, but he couldn't risk saying anything.
Sitting one seat away Shoto cast an icy glare at Horizon, and closer to the front Bakugo just sank lower in his chair. 3
"It makes sense that people would at least be worried," Jiro adds. "I mean the number is in the hundreds now, Hero Courses all over are either turtling up or postponing classes, it's kinda arrogant of UA to just expect not to even be attacked, even if All Might is here." 1
"Yeah, but if anywhere in Japan is safe, it's UA," Sero adds.
"Or Tartarus," Momo says. "Those are the two places in this half of the world with the greatest security." 1
Horizon grits his teeth, but immediately lets the feeling go, not wanting to think about Tartarus. 2
"I'm more surprised that everyone from the class got to come back," Horizon says. "I figured at least some of your parents would be smart enough not to send you back here."
"Well it wasn't that smooth for me," Sero says. "But I managed to convince them since All Might is here, it's either this or I go wash dishes for the rest of my life…don't really have much in the way of high paying skills," he admits nervously.
"This is the only place I can train my Quirk," Tokoyami says. "It's too dangerous not to control the darkness in my soul." 8
"Honestly you just need a therapist," Horizon says seriously, earning odd looks from everyone. "Your problem is all mental," he shrugs. 3
"Well in my case my parents understand how much this means to me," Momo says. "They argued of course but I was eventually able to convince them…it may have gotten a bit ugly at the end, unfortunately," she says sadly.
Jiro puts a hand on her shoulder, "I'm sure when they see all the good you do it'll be alright."
Momo nods thankfully, "thank you Jiro."
"Couldn't be me," Horizon grits out. "If you were my daughter and told me some stupid shit about wanting to become a hero I'd lock you in the mansion until you got over it."
"How can you even say that!" Jiro takes an aggressive stance immediately. "You'd stop your child from following their dream just like that?!"
"I rather have a living kid that hates me than a dead kid that followed her dreams, yeah, she'd get over it." 18
Jiro just shakes her head and scoffs, "to think the only reason I got to come back was because we're in the same class," she rolls her eyes at that.
"Huh?"
"My folks saw some of the clips of Nomu at USJ… they figured if my Class Rep could take down something like that which was built to kill All Might, I'd be safe if you're around," she grumbles reluctantly.
"Awe, making sure your parents like me already?" Horizon teases jokingly. 7
Jiro blushes and turns to hide her face, only earning a fit of giggles from Sero. 9
"Those clips really were spectacular," Tokoyami says, getting them back on track. "To think you were able to keep up with that monster, it was so fast and strong…truly built for destruction."
"True, but if I lost to some meathead brute my mom would probably beat me into the hospital," he says jokingly, completely oblivious to the concerned glances of his classmates. "I mean she's been training me since I was five to kick ass and I lose to the first villain at UA…that'd be a pathetic waste of her time, complete failure," he scoffs in disgust. 9
Everyone took what he said at face value, although truthfully this was mostly his view on the situation, not his parent's. Failing in such a manner would make him a pathetic failure, undeserving of all the years of work they put into training him…in his eyes that is, because he knew their love for him is truly unconditional.
Put his classmates gave him sympathetic looks before quickly moving the conversation along, speaking of the protests and vigils held across Japan at various Hero Courses, about how faith in heroes has already begun declining. 1
Yet only one seat away Todoroki looks at Horizon in sympathy, lifting a hand to his scar as he suddenly doesn't feel so alone. 9
Coming to the very dangerous assumption that Horizon suffered exactly as he did, in the same situation as him. 9
With abusive parents and a traumatic childhood. 1
In a hate-filled household.
In a loveless home.
Because how else could someone be so strong, be everything his own father bred and trained him for, if not forged in hate and abuse?
He opens his mouth to simply ask, but just leans back in his chair, looking forward. 3
For a moment Todoroki considers reaching out to him, but he ultimately decides to stay put and just focus on his own issues. The best decision of his otherwise very short life… 8
"Get to your seats!" Horizon announces suddenly, and everyone scrambles about with no hesitation, already used to his strange ability to sense things.
"Morning class," Eraser enters a minute later, not even glancing at everyone, already knowing they were seated and waiting. "Horizon," Eraser immediately glares at him, then his eyes lighten up. "Good job dealing with the press this morning, but the other teachers and I would rather you not make any more statements, just in case you say something wrong eventually." 1
"Gotcha," Horizon says. 'I guess those reporters really work fast, perfect.'
"Alright class, today we'll be changing up the schedule for a while, as you all know, in two weeks the UA Sports Festival starts. This is your first of three chances to impress Pros, and the entire world, because everyone watches this event. Because of that, we'll be postponing your afternoon Hero Basic Training to allow you all to do more independent Quirk training, if you need access to the special training grounds tell your Class Rep and he'll submit the requests to me
Remember you're not the only people who will be training at school for this. UA has 100 Hero Course students who all want space to train as well, not to mention the hundreds of other students that may be training to get one of these spots."
Everyone gets nervous at that, "what do you mean sir?" Iida asks.
Eraser gives him a bored look, "what, you thought I was joking when I said you had to constantly prove you deserve these spots? It's basically impossible for anyone to transfer into the Hero Course from another course after the first semester because by then you'll be so far ahead that it would upset the lesson plan and they'd just flunk out, so this is their big chance to take one of their spots. 1
If any of them take a podium spot then we're making room by removing whoever gets the lowest spot between both Hero Course classes," he looks directly at Deku. "But honestly if any of them impress either Vlad or me we could just instantly swap you out."
"So no pressure huh," Kaminari says nervously. "Just perform or have our dreams crushed…"
"We crushed dreams by taking these spots," Horizons says. "Life isn't fair, and not everyone can be a winner, there are no participation trophies in the real world." 11
"Exactly," Eraser says, noticing how much he's been agreeing with Horizon since the second day. "But more than just keeping your spot, you need to impress the Pros and scouts that will be watching, this year especially since we're opening the internship program up to first years." 3
"Internships?" Mina asks.
"Think of it like being an unpaid assistant," Eraser says. "You get to shadow a Pro mainly to see the back-end of hero work, how to run an agency and handle patrols, things like that, it's not just all fighting villains. Your options will be based on who scouts you at the festival, so put your best foot forward." 5
"YES SIR!" most of the class responds, while Horizon just nods along.
As Eraser leaves everyone begins chatting and hyping each other up about the sports festival, but Horizon just takes out his phone and texts Nezu, requesting a specific spot for some more secluded training.
'With UA facilities and space available I'll be able to develop a lot faster…this'll be even easier than I thought…' 1
"–I guess you aren't worried."
Horizon looks to his right to see Tokoyami talking to him. "What? About the sports festival? Nah not really."
Behind him Momo was a nervous wreck, piping up in a shaky and shy voice, "I suppose you'll place highly, we'll all be fighting just to remain in the Hero Course…"
Horizon spins in his chair so his back is facing the window, leaving Momo to his right and Tokoyami in front of him, "you say that like your Quirk isn't Creation, but honestly if I didn't compete they still wouldn't kick me out," he shrugs.
Everyone around him is only half surprised by his blatant boast. "Do you think Principal Nezu would allow such a blatantly show of favoritism?" Tokoyami asks.
"Honestly no, but it would be really dumb kicking out the only counter to Kurogiri, don't you think?"
They all just silently agreed with his logic until Sero spoke. "Damn, guess you aren't under pressure like the rest of us…so that means you'll say, maybe just take it easy on us?" 2
Horizon laughs at that, "oh no, I'm gonna win, not just win, I'm gonna crush everyone so badly there is no doubt that I won…because when you're perfect, just winning isn't enough…" 29
And for some reason not a soul could muster the strength to argue with him… 9
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 48: CHAPTER 045(Gold Medal Challenge)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Running at full speed Law feels the cool night air crash against him. Breaking what would have been mythic Olympic records before the advent of Quirks 300 years ago.
Wearing just his UA blue and white PE pants and the white reinforced dress shoes from his Hero Costume he sprints shirtless and without a body glove, a thick layer of sweat glistening on his body, sticking his short spiky black hair to his face and head.
Sword at his side, already drawn, he rushes down street after street under the moonlight, hearing loud clanking in the distance ahead of him.
'Last one…' he reminds himself, picking up the pace. Rounding the corner he sees a long street of four-story buildings, unpainted, blank, as if this was an abandoned construction site, even the roads were concrete and had no lines, just a vague form so you'd know what they were meant to be.
"Gotcha," he smiles viciously, looking up at the Zero-Pointer, a massive 60m -196ft-tall green robot with four legs and a rectangular head reminiscent of a cannon.
"Inferior! Human!" The robot yells, nearly shaking the street as it rushes Law. 7
Breaking into a full sprint once again Law feels the soreness in his legs begging him to stop.
He raises his left hand and flicks his pointer finger upward.
TAKT!
Chunks of concrete from the road, rough and unrefined but large boulders either way are ripped out of the ground.
He runs from one to the next to the next, ascending like a staircase until he's 30m in the air.
The robot's large clawed hand comes down to slap him out of the air.
BOOSTER SHOT!
INCISION!
The healing energy floods his body, not finding any wounds it once again boosts his physical might. 2
His sword connects to the metal and cleaves the hand in two, 10m of metal and wiring slashed in one smooth motion.
Flipping in the air he reaches down while upside down and grabs the robot's arm with his free hand.
BOOSTER SHOT!
His fingers try and fail to grip into the metal, sliding off "shit," he mutters. Until he finds a groove between the massive plates to grip onto.
He pivots and finds his footing, running up the robot's arm toward the shoulder, only for the other arm to come out to swat him like a bug. 1
Another slash divides the massive palm, and he feels himself barely hanging on, exhaustion catching up to him.
He ignores the sound of metal crashing to the ground below, falling to the roof of a building and collapsing a floor or two, nothing Cementoss couldn't fix.
Making it to the robot's head he slashes down with both hands, once again amplifying his slash as much as possible.
CRAANG!
The robot splits directly down for a dozen meters, "shit…"
He warps away as the now deactivated robot collapses, destroying a few buildings. On a nearby rooftop, he looks back at the collapsed robot, frowning at the damage of his last attack.
"My physical attacks are still so pathetic…" he deactivates his Quirk and begins taking a relaxing walk back to the front of this training ground. 22
–Minutes Later…
Sitting on the roof of the ten-story concrete control tower at the entrance to this training area, Law has his feet dangling over the edge. 1
The shirt of his PE Uniform and his body glove were neatly folded beside him, both sporting Horizon's logo on the back. His sword lays sheathed beside them along with his cards as he enjoys a drink from his water bottle. Accompanied by the cool night air and the sight of the full moon above this training area.
A square concrete jungle 300m wide. UA's newest addition to their list of massive training areas that puts them a cut above all the other Hero Courses.
CLICK!
Law hears the door to the roof open behind him, he instantly opens his room, then relaxes as the door opens, deactivating his Quirk once again.
"So how was tonight's training?" Nezu asks, casually closing the door behind him and walking up to Law, standing beside him at the edge of the roof. 5
"Same as always, but getting better," Law shrugs.
"That's good to hear, plus I'm sure Cementoss will appreciate not having to rebuild this entire training ground first thing in the morning, a welcomed change I'm sure from the past week…" Nezu takes out a sandwich from behind his back and hands it over to Law, "steak." 3
"Thanks," he begins unwrapping it and eating.
"Well it's almost 9 PM, you should eat something, and considering how much you eat I figured you could use it."
"Mhm," Law swallows and takes a drink of water, "trying to bulk up is a real pain in the ass, how come you're here?" 2
"Well it's already Friday night, just one more day until the Sports Festival, I figured I'd come see how the new move you've been developing is going." 1
"Surprisingly well," Law admits. "Usually it would take months or years to figure out a new one, but since I've got a lot of space and freedom here to move around and get rowdy it's a lot faster, but that's probably because of how simple the new move is…"
"Well, I'm happy to hear that," Nezu sits at the edge of the roof with Law. "It's certainly good that Training Ground Zeta is useful, since it was built to your specifications."
"Mhm," Law takes another drink of water. "No cameras or pests to bother me, that's the best part honestly, my own little playground. Especially since working out in the body glove is a nightmare, way too sweaty, it basically becomes a wetsuit."
"Gross."
"Exactly, but thanks to this place it's ready for use…just nowhere near as efficient as my other abilities."
"So you just, what, decide to do something and your Quirk makes it happen?" Nezu asks, still trying to understand what Hand Of God does.
"Mystery class, beyond human and scientific comprehension," Law shrugs. "As far as you need to know I can do whatever I want." 5
"Aha, but I'm not a human," Nezu points out. 4
"Still not saying." 1
"Oh well, it's not like you need help training it, so you can take care of your own Quirk training."
"Exactly, only three people in the world know how my Quirk works, so I'm keeping it that way," they both settle into a comfortable silence for a moment, until Law continues. "Is everything ready for the Sports Festival in two days?" 8
"Oh, of course, Pros from all across the country have been hired as security, and even if he isn't technically working at the Sports Festival, Endeavor has already called me and confirmed that he'll be there."
"So the rank one and two heroes, assuming you can even count on Yagi…"
"We can, he is still hell-bent on being the Symbol Of Peace, but between those two and you being present the League of Villains should be smart enough not to show their faces."
"Mhm, and speaking of Yagi, what's up with him and Deku?" Law asks without even looking over at Nezu.
"What exactly do you mean?"
"Well, I noticed him using his Quirk to talk to Deku a few times these past two weeks, seems like a waste of his time using his energy on that loser," Law says.
'He's only doing that because he knows you can 'sense' him,' Nezu thinks to himself.
"Well he's fulfilling his duty," Nezu says. "He's trying to help Midoriya to control his Quirk, he knows the importance of the Sports Festival, especially for Hero Course students, and he wants all of you to have the best possible chance of leaving a good impression during your debut."
"Well he should be more discrete about it," Law says. "It's a bad look having the number one hero constantly having meetings with one student."
"Says the student so well connected with the school Principal," Nezu points out.
"Yeah, but if I didn't know better I'd think All Might was his dad or something, at least with us nobody will make such a stupid mistake," Law chuckles, looking down at the Bear-Mouse. 2
"And why couldn't Yagi be his dad?" Nezu asks, curious as to exactly what Law thinks about the mentor and successor connection.
"Because I've seen Yagi's medical records, no kids, plus he's told me that," Law says. "But if someone doesn't know better it's the logical conclusion, since at face value their Quirks look identical."
"You think they aren't?" Nezu is both curious and amused by where this is going, half expecting Law to have figured it out by now, but grateful that Midoriya has avoided physical contact with him until now. 1
"Well they look similar, but I know Yagi's Quirk makes his cells like steel that's somehow elastic and swelling to contain more and more energy. It lets him accumulate and stockpile power, right?"
"Right," Nezu doesn't bother trying to hide that fact.
"Right, that means he started weak and became stronger over his lifetime, but Deku said he broke his arm as a kid using his Quirk, that it's always been strong. So it can't be an accumulation if it starts that strong, because he would have had time to learn it while it was stockpiling power, but to other people who don't know about Yagi's Quirk they may look the same."
"True," Nezu says. "His Quirk did start with rather insignificant and unnoticeable strength, while Midoriya has such incredible power from the beginning." A technical truth, as One For All the Quirk, did start weak. 2
Nezu simply plays along with Law's theory. Realizing that the idea of trading and passing on Quirks was so impossible to all but the very few who knew of All For One and One For All that even Law didn't consider the possibility. Especially since Yagi does in fact have an accumulation Quirk, but Midoriya was able to skip the long accumulation process by having all the stockpiled energy transferred to him.
"That makes sense," Nezu says. "Atleast you're the only one who noticed, thankful nobody else can see through walls."
"I can't technically see through walls, but no, everyone noticed."
"What?!"
"Oh yeah, he interrupted Deku and his friends in the hall and Uraraka mentioned it, pretty much everyone knows Yagi is training him."
"Oh…I hope they aren't jealous or resentful of it," Nezu says genuinely, making a mental note to scold Yagi for his carelessness.
"Doesn't matter," Law chuckles. "Yagi is just one big veiny bicep, he doesn't have the brainpower to figure out what Deku is doing wrong, as obvious as it is…" 1
"And I still can't convince you to help?" Nezu asks. 1
"I rather deep throat a whole cactus that help that trash." 54
"That's excessive…" Nezu sighs.
"Not like I care what happens to them at the Sports Festival, I'm just gonna win, have some food from the stalls, launch my career, and wave for the hero-worshipping trash in the stands," Law shrugs. "Gotta make sure I look good for the cameras after all." 1
"Well if you're so confident I'm sure you'll be fine, but don't underestimate your opponents, it could cost you, maintaining the top spot at UA is difficult for countless reasons."
"If you say so…"
"Have you considered who you'd like to intern under? I'm sure the moment you start warping about everyone will flood us with requests, not to mention you're already famous with how you've worked the press thus far."
"Well ideally I'd get Endeavor, but he famously never takes interns or work studies students," Law shrugs. "Hawks is rank 3, but…I don't think that'll go well for anyone involved…" 2
"It would be a shame to lose a top ten Pro so young," Nezu nods in agreement. "Jeanist is rank 4, him?" 9
"Yeah we'd probably get along from what I know, but I prefer people who are a bit more active, I'm starting from a better spot than the other students but I still need to rack up a lot of credit by stopping villains, can't do that sitting in Jeanist office all day." 2
"So you want to go looking for trouble? Well, Endeavor has the highest number of resolved incidents in history, globally that is." 2
"Until I go Pro at least," Law smirks at the thought of watching those numbers climb. "But I think Miruko will be best to intern and have my work studies under next year." 35
"She isn't interested in working with anyone," Nezu says. "And even if she was, I can't trust someone of her disposition with one of my students, same with All Might, not that teachers are allowed to host internships." 1
"Yeah but, I can handle her meathead terrible decisions, consider it?" 3
"I'll think about it, but that woman only has one brain cell and all it does is lift weights and punch villains, not a role model for my students…" 1
"Yeah but her being a meathead will let me run around and handle villains," Law shrugs. "After her would probably be Ryukyu and Gang Orca, I'd be shocked if I need anyone outside of the top ten." 4
"You forgot Edgeshot, your Quirk would be perfect for his stealthy style."
"Yeah but I need cameras around to boost my popularity, kinda works against the whole ninja thing he has going for him."
"That makes sense, well I'm sure you'll have your pick of the litter when they see what you can do."
"Yeah, and the gold metal will look good on me," Law chuckles. "But you know, there is one thing that would really help my 4-year plan…"
"Oh, what's that?"
"A Provisional Hero License," Law says. "I know normally Hero Courses only sent second-year students to take the test but, if I get it in year 1 then the three-year trial will be done just a few months after graduation, and I'd be able to do some freelance hero work whenever I'm not stuck in UA."
"Well that is normally the case, but I intended to have you take the exam in June to get it."
"Really? Wait, 'intended', you changed your mind?" Law asks.
"No, with the War On Heroes declared by the villains we've decided to have a summer training camp for the first years, we intend for all of you to take the September exam, just a few days before that semester starts."
"Why not just have me take it in June anyway?" Law asks. "You know I'll pass anyway so what's a few months early? Plus that way I'd get all summer to fight villains."
"I'd rather have your entire class take the exam together, teamwork is an important component in passing the exam."
"Do you honestly think between now and September I'll suddenly want to help those idiots pass that exam?" Law asks with a blank expression. 2
"Good point," Nezu says. "But keeping you with them is currently vital, we believe that the main reason the villains haven't launched a second attack at UA is because you can shut the Warp Gate Quirk down."
"I can't babysit them forever Nezu, and I'd like my summer free…"
"Hmm," Nezu thinks for a moment then nods, giving Law a brilliant smile. "Alright, if you can keep your word and win the UA Sports Festival, I'll let you take the license exam at the end of June. But it has to be a perfect and absolute victory…" 5
Law laughs at this easy challenge, "one gold medal coming up…" 30
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 49: CHAPTER 046(Sports Festival) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START– 7
As the bell for lunch rings, everyone begins packing up, and Sero turns back to look at Horizon. "Hey you gonna disappear during lunch again, you can totally eat with us if you want."
"I'm actually gonna head down to the support department to talk to Power Loader, I need new shoes for my Hero Costume," Horizon says. 2
"Oh…that's too bad," Sero mutters sadly.
"Ugh, ignore him," Jiro walks up and says, ready to go have lunch with Momo. "He just wants you to have lunch with him to get noticed by your fan club."
"Well, some of them are pretty cute," Horizon adds. "Can't blame a guy for trying and all that…" He sees Sero give him a thumbs up. "It is kinda creepy the way they're always lurking around me, but that's part of the whole being famous aspect of heroics these days."
"Well I'm certainly not jealous of that, having people always watching you and following you around seems like a nightmare," Jiro mutters as she walks past them and toward Momo at the back of the room. 2
Tokoyami nods in agreement, "unfortunately it's the life we signed up for by attending UA."
"Once you–" Horizon stops talking, head snapping to the doors on the other side of the room, "there's a mob outside."
Everyone remaining in the room gets on alert immediately, silently looking at the windows leading into the hallway.
"What the hell do these people want now, how many selfies do I need to take with students before it gets old," Horizon mutters while getting up and walking to the door at the front of class, walking past Bakugo who was still packing his bag.
Pulling open the door he finds himself staring at a horde of first-years, towering over them.
"Wow he's huge!" 4
"So he always wears the mask?"
"Does he have the sword? I can't see!"
"He's intense."
And a dozen other lines are fired off as the crowd gets a bit rowdy.
"I see…only first years…so you're here because the Sports Festival is tomorrow, right?" he asks.
A few people nod nervously in response.
"Well, now you've seen us, so you can stop blocking the doorway now, my classmates want to go get lunch," he says casually, ignoring a few people who were blatantly taking pictures of him.
"Wow," a purple-haired boy with tired baggy eyes pushes his way to the front, now standing beside a short girl who was seemingly recording. "I can't tell if you're arrogant or confident, but you know we've heard a lot about you, constant chatter in our ear from the news, from clips online, from our friends. But don't think that means that we can't take your spo–"
"Shut up," Horizon commands, causing everyone to freeze, feeling waves of annoyance radiating from him. "Whatever declarations of desires, dreams, promises, and feelings you're about to vomit at my feet, swallow it. The truth is nobody in the world cares about any of that trash, we got the speech about you taking our spots, we're over it, you want them? You want to prove to UA and whoever else that you belong here instead of us? Then shut your mouth, and get to work." 17
He gestures to the gathered mob that was now getting annoyed.
"Win," he says, catching them off guard. "It's literally that simple, no talk, just action. Prove you should be here instead of us, because your words don't matter if you can't back up the talk. So how about you go plan your strategy for tomorrow, or literally anything more useful than this crap, now, get out of our doorway…" 4
Horizon immediately begins walking forward, and everyone gets out of his way, an ocean of people that were all talking parting to get out of his way.
Annoyance transformed into respect, although they had to admit they didn't like his abrasive manner of speaking.
Meanwhile back in the classroom, his classmates were more than a little surprised that he was so pleasant to the visitors, but their determination only grew, now seeing the mob of people that were aiming to replace them.
–20 Hours Later…
Standing with 11 other first years Horizon nods along to everything Ms. Midnight says, all wearing their PE Uniforms, with his having his logo in black at the back of it. The shirt of his PE Uniform opened to show off his white body glove beneath, his logo in blue on his chest. 8
"–I expect all of you Class Reps to keep everyone in line out there, at least while in the stands, I want you young and hot-blooded students running wild in the games," Midnight says in a completely serious tone.
"Yes ma'am!" everyone yells while Horizon only nods.
"Good, we start in 5 minutes, get to your waiting rooms, and wait for the announcements…"
Leaving the room Horizon is walking beside Kendo, her PE Uniform on with the arms rolled up to her elbow and legs rolled up to her knees.
"So you excited for this?" Kendo asks, her nervousness showing as she looks up at Horizon.
"It's just a competition, all I've gotta do is win."
Kendo frowns at that, "yeah I figured you wouldn't be nervous, you've been in the public eye for weeks, half the people are here for you… and you're so strong," she mutters quietly.
They arrive at 1Bs locker room in the stadium and stop at the door. They both face each other as he speaks, "no need to be nervous, just do your best, that's all you can do anyway," he raises a finger to her chin, lifting her head to get a proper look at her large teal eyes. "And besides, even if the gold is mine, you'll look incredible in silver…good luck." 33
He casually walks away leaving her to stare at his back, her face sporting a faint blush as her mind catches up to her body, "huh? Wait a minute…THAT JERK!" she takes a breath to compose herself before entering the room to address her class. 13
Walking into the 1A locker room Horizon sees Deku and Todoroki looking one second away from a fight, with Kirishima standing beside them, the entire room tense and silent, everyone looking at the duo. 1
"Save whatever crap this is for later, we go out in four minutes," he announces and closes the door behind him.
Everyone started getting more nervous or excited as Horizon takes out his phone, doing one last check on his online presence.
'Hmm, that video of my speech yesterday is trending, guess that girl was recording, not just taking pictures…and people think I was being motivational to our competition…ok, I'll take it…' he can't help but smile at that. 'Even when I'm not trying this is too easy.' 11
Minutes later they're all walking into the stadium as Present Mic announces all the classes, A through K, all 11 years-1 classes. 220 students competing for the top spot. 4
"Holy crap," Sero mutters nervously, standing toward the back with Horizon and Sato as they all walk into the arena. "This is a lot more intense than it looks on TV…"
And in truth, it was, even for Horizon. Standing in the arena, soft grass all around, a twenty-meter raise at the edges where the first row of views was sitting above. The absolutely gargantuan stadium was nearly 70 meters -220ft-tall, with rows and floors of seats for all 200 thousand spectators, including the private boxes at the top behind tinted windows. 1
Looking around as the other classes enter the arena he can see a few people holding up posters with his symbol on them, fans cheering specifically for him. 1
He smiles at that, raising his hand to give a polite wave before Midnight begins talking.
"Now, for the student pledge, we have… KATSUKI BAKUGO!" Midnight proudly announces, and while Bakugo stalks up to the stage, both hands in his pockets, a fair amount of the students look at Horizon in surprise. 6
He shrugs, "Bakugo got first on the public entrance exam, he represents more of you, its the logical choice…" was all he said before Bakugo began talking.
Bakugo opens his mouth to speak, then closes it, glaring at all the other students before focusing his gaze on Horizon at the back of the class. "I'll give it my all, and I won't let anyone stop me from being the absolute best Hero…not even you Glass Face…"
Horizon lifts a hand, and where his entire class expects a middle finger, he gives a thumbs up, "do your best Bakugo!" he cheers on his classmate. 16
Everyone who knows him is surprised by this, until they remember exactly where they are, 'public appearances…' they recall he's always talking about that. 1
But they also knew exactly why he meant, 'do you best, it won't be enough.' And clearly, Bakugo understood this too as he stomped off the stage fuming mad. 10
"Alright, time for the first game!" Midnight gets the crowd stirred up once more. "An obstacle race, the course is 4km around this stadium, Quirks are allowed of course, do whatever you'd like as long as you stay on the course, first to cross the finish line wins!" 2
"It's like they're handing me that gold medal," Horizon chuckles as his classmates just glare in envy, already knowing how this will go.
"Now get to your starting positions!" Midnight gestures to the large red hallway built into the stadium.
Everyone immediately rushes for a front spot, toes against the starting line, but when the crowd moves Horizon is just left standing alone in the middle of the arena. Midnight has to stop herself from telling him to get to the starting point, saving herself from looking foolish on TV. 2
As everyone gets settled the stadium falls completely silent, and the timer begins.
3
Horizon opens a room, 700m in every direction, just enough to cover the entire track. A quick SCAN feeds him all the information he needs. 1
'A minefield, a horde of robots, and…when did they even have time to dig that hole…god damn Power Loader…' 1
2
He finds a pebble at the finish line, identifying the banner held between two posts. 1
1 1
Horizon takes one last look at the crowd, most people excitedly watching the starting hallway, some of his fans looking at him in worry.
'This is the first time the public will know what my Quirk is…time for the big debut.'
"START!" Midnight announces.
SHAMBLES! 1
"WINNER!" Present Mic immediately announces, and Horizon truly takes the stage… 43
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 50: CHAPTER 047(All Eyes On Me) 10
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Appearing at the finish line Horizon sees the stadium only a hundred meters away down the dirt track, not even a single student has made it through the gateway and onto the track, yet he grabs the banner at the finish line.
"WINNER!" Present Mic's voice rings out, reaching the crowds in and out of the stadium, like music to his ears.
He drops the banner and starts taking a casual stroll back into the stadium. All the camera robots along this stretch of the course turn and focus on him, so he takes his time to give everyone a good look at their future hero.
Both hands in his pockets he listens to Mic hype him up, a wide smile beneath his visor.
"First place goes to Horizon! No surprise there when you put a warp user in a obstacle race folks!" Mic's voice echoes through the stadium and outside to the nearby crowds and competitors.
"He's the Class Rep for the famous Class 1A, one of the most talented sets of students UA has ever had, credited with taking down the USJ Nomu on his own and he even acts as our counter to other Warp Quirks, a pillar of security for everyone around him! 12
It's no surprise that he's favored to win this whole tournament, especially when you know his Quirk can do a lot more than warping!
Supposedly already so skilled and talented that if he were a Pro they'd have to make room in our top 10 for him!" 4
Horizon sees a large burst of frost erupt from the narrow hallway and stops, taking in the sight of a few Hero Course students avoiding Todoroki's attack and pulling ahead with him.
"He's even a world-class doctor at only 16!" Mic announces loudly, catching even Horizon off guard, "With hard work and talent, all bolstered by having the single most powerful Heal ability in the world! He's a real tough contender for MVP in any party!" 5
'Did Nezu tell him more about me?' Horizon wonders.
"But these aren't the words of this announcer folks! The super genius behind UA, Principal Nezu confirmed all of this himself, this is why one year ago he broke his iron clad 'no scouting' policy to get Horizon into the Hero Course, he's simply playing on a whole other level!" 2
'Nezu definitely told him that part…' he think while arriving at the frozen students. Some lament their failure, others crying, not because their feet were frozen to the ground, but because this was their only real chance to transfer into the Hero Course.
And Horizon sees them look up at him with admiration, jealousy, and even a hint of fear and worry as he reaches where the ice is, surely shaken by Mic's announcement.
SHAMBLES!
He warps back into the arena not far away from midnight.
It takes a moment for people to realize what just happened, then the entire stadium shakes with uproar and applause, the public finally getting a glimpse of what his Quirk is, now understanding why he was so integral in defending UA during the USJ incident.
"Your first-place winner for the obstacle race!" Midnight proudly announces as his name appears on the scoreboards. 7
Horizon waves back to the cheering crowd as Mic continues announcing what happens during the race.
As everyone focuses on the race Horizon quietly makes his way to the seats on the third level reserved for his class, aware of all the eyes on him from the Pros in the audience. As he expected, and pays no mind to.
Even as Endeavor's fiery glare drills into his back while he walks out of the arena.
Walking to his seating area he sees Nezu already there, a large tablet in his hand with numbers constantly flowing across the screen.
"Don't you always act as the umpire for the 3rd year games?" Horizon asks, taking a seat beside his principal.
"Normally yes, but I need to keep an eye on the security systems due to the increase in villain activity, Ectoplasm is filling in for me."
"Ahh, makes sense, and you gave Mic how much information about me exactly?"
"Only what he announced," Nezu says. "He was the one who actually asked me about you after the Obstacle Race was decided, it was very obvious who the winner would be, so he wanted something to get the crowd all riled up."
"Always the showman," Horizon says.
"You're one to talk, you've been rather pleasant in the public eye. From your social media profile, to the interview you had, to how you've acted today, it's quite remarkable, and just a little bit scary."
"Well it's not like I've ever lied, I just say things in more pleasant ways…even if it is really damn exhausting."
"Yes, but I'm sure it's worth it for you," Nezu says as Horizon takes out his phone. "Shouldn't you be watching the competition?"
"Not really, I doubt any of these people can even make me sweat," he shrugs and starts scrolling. "My followers doubled, nearly 7 Million already, how many people are watching the games live?" 1
"Hmm," Nezu fiddles with his tablet for a second. "Nearly 300 Million, I'm sure as more and more people get interested they'll search for you online and find your profile." 7
"Well best to give them something to chew on," Horizon starts uploading a few files. "There, just put that picture of me and the Pope on my profile, and sent some anonymous information about me to the press, all about the world traveling miracle doctor Horizon." 1
"The public will surely love you, a capable hero that isn't camera shy," Nezu chuckles. "Most heroes don't work the popularity aspect of their job enough, even though it's a clear factor when determining hero rankings, among other things. The people need to know about you to know that they can count on you after all, by the time you graduate your media presence should be quite good." 1
"I'm looking for better than just good," Horizon says, putting away his phone and watching the games. "I plan on entering the top 10 directly after graduation, maybe I'll make a big push and take the number 1 spot… that'll surely get me what I want."
"Hmm, I thought your plan was to win by showing how capable and dependable you are?"
"It is," Horizon nods as he chooses his words carefully. "But these people," he gestures to the crowds. "They're too stupid for that, they like shiny flashy things. If being capable is all that mattered Endeavor would be rank 1, he's got the most resolved incidents in the history of heroes after all, but clearly, it's not enough. I'll be more capable than Endeavor and more beloved than All Might, that's how I'll win…"
Nezu smiles and focuses on the race, "I'd expect nothing less from you, as our future Symbol Of Peace…" 1
As the other students arrive at The Fall, a massive hundred-meter-wide pit with flat pillars littering it, all connected by heavy-duty cables, Bakugo takes the lead.
Showing off his unrelenting resolve and desire to be the best, he just barely edges out Todoroki who has to skate across the cables by simply flying across the obstacle, widening the gap between them.
"Flying huh…" Horizon mutters, now seeing a girl with pink dreadlocks using some support equipment to hover above the ground and slingshot across the pit.
"Oh, I was always curious about that," Nezu says.
"About what?"
"Why can't you fly?"
"That's a weird question to ask someone," Horizon says, seeing Shoji spreading his arms to do small glides from pillar to pillar, overtaking most of the competition to get the eleventh place.
"I just assumed you'd be able to fly like most people with Telekinesis, either by holding your own body…although it's extremely rare for people with such a Quirk to be able to affect living things. So I assumed you'd do the usual approach by controlling something like your clothes or shoes to fly around," Nezu explains.
"Tried that as a kid," Horizon grumbles. "It's literally the first thing I did when I created TAKT–"
"TAKT?" Nezu asks.
"My 'Telekinesis,' I wasn't lying when I said it's more like I command the world to move and it obeys. Because of that, it can get messy if I try to move multiple objects in sync for delicate tasks, since it's more like I give and control a vector to an object instead of wrapping it in energy and moving it."
"Ahhh," Nezu immediately gets the picture. "So you nearly pulled yourself apart with it…" 1
"Something like that, and even if that doesn't happen the clothes will just get torn off me," Horizon grumbles out.
"But on the plus side, that means you can use it on anything while most Telekinesis Quirks require you to make contact first, like the 1B student's." 1
"Pretty much."
"From…any range?"
"I'm not telling you my range, but yeah, it helps if I'm closer and can see the object at least," Horizon says. "But if you were in your office right now I could throw one of the couches in there at your head, while sitting way out here, wouldn't even have to do more than flick a finger."
"And is there a weight limit to what you can lift?" Nezu asks.
"Not in the same way that Urarak has a weight limit to hers, my Quirk doesn't have limits like that."
"So you always say, and how are the new shoes treating you, I didn't notice any difference," Nezu says.
"They look the same, but these are boots," Horizon pulls up the leg of his pants to show the change, dress shoes visually but providing a lot more support for his shift into being more brawlic. "Perfect for kicking in some teeth." 2
Nezu chuckles nervously, "don't forget you're supposed to be a hero…"
"KATSUKI BAKUGO TAKES SECOND PLACE!" Mic screams at the crowd, and everyone erupts into cheers as Bakugo enters the arena, followed closely by Todoroki and Iida. 11
"They all looked pissed," Horizon says.
"Well second place isn't enough for UA students," Nezu says. "Not to mention Iida came fourth because he stepped on a land mine, I'm sure he wanted to win since this is a race, his area of expertise, and his brother is probably watching."
"Oh yeah, Ingenium, guess that's where he'll be interning."
"Oh yes that request came in days ago," Nezu says, hitting a few options on his tablet and bringing up a massive list. "Your internship requests have already hit over one thousand, and it's only the first round, Todoroki is trailing behind with two hundred."
"Not surprising, if he ever grows a brain he'll be useful with that Quirk, too bad he's a tactless meathead like All Might."
"You really shouldn't be hard on them, they are still students after all."
"Explain that to the villains that want them dead, and things will only get harder for them when villains watch this and learn about them. In my case when I explain my Quirk villains will start running away from me even more…" 7
"Well that remains to be seen," Nezu says as the students begin pouring into the arena.
"So, can you tell me what the next game is gonna be?"
"I'm not allowed to, but since I don't think it'll matter for someone like you, it's a Cavalry Battle," Nezu casually says as the first twenty people arrive in the arena.
"Ugh, teamwork crap…actually, how specific are the rules?" he turns to look down at Nezu, a mischievous aura wafting off him. 2
Nezu gives him a curious look, not sure how to feel about this, "well, what do you have in mind?" 10
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 51: CHAPTER 048(QualityQuantity) 7
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"The first game is complete!" Midnight announces. "The top 42 competitors will be advancing into the next round! Don't worry if you didn't make the cut, we've got other opportunities later for you to shine!"
Standing with his class Horizon doesn't react, even to all the clearly worried gazes befalling him. Mic's announcement had the desired effect at least, all eyes were on him.
The tension was palpable, everyone wondering how they could beat someone that Warps, but his classmates have been considering this for the past month, results? Inconclusive… 1
Looking around as the second game was being decided Horizon recognized most of the people who qualified, including everyone from 1B, some of which were not present when he first met them. 1
'So everyone from the Hero Course got this far…even Deku managed to get 23rd, Aoyama somehow got 42nd, barely making it in…and the purple-haired guy from yesterday got 30th, nothing special I guess…' he concludes. 13
"In first place of course we've got our resident warping doctor, Horizon!" Midnight announces as his name appears on the board in first place. "But remaining on top takes a lot of skill, especially at UA," she licks her lips lecherously. "And in the next game that'll be even more difficult…CALVARY BATTLE!" 5
Everyone begins murmuring but she quickly silences them and begins explaining.
"You'll all have fifteen minutes to break into teams of up to 5 people, you've each been assigned a point value based on your ranking in the obstacle race! The points start at 5 points for 42nd place, 10 for 41st, and it keeps increasing by 5 until you get to Bakugo in 2nd place. The point total will be worn above the shoulder on one headband by the rider and will represent the entire team, the teams with the most points at the end of the 15 minutes get into the final stage. And at the very top, the first place holder is worth…" she points at Horizon. "TEN MILLION!" 1
All eyes once again fell to Horizon, and he immediately raised his hand.
"Yes?" Midnight asks.
"Since I don't need any rag-tag team…I'll be playing solo," Horizon says. 6
Midnight frowns at that, "well I don't thi–" she stops talking and raises a hand to her earpiece, then she just frowns. "The judges say it's allowed if you can stay off the ground, but are you sure? Allies will play a huge part in this…"
"I'm Horizon," he says. "That's enough." 8
Midnight gives a vicious smile, "that kind of bold and confident talk is a real turn-on! Horizon will be playing solo!" 5
The hologram shifts to place 'Horizon-10 Million Points' in the top spot.
"Everyone else, you've got fifteen minutes…"
As everyone is scrambling to make their teams Midnight looks up to where Nezu was sitting, shaking her head, 'you're making your favoritism of this boy too damn obvious Nezu…' 8
"Looks like Horizon is playing solo folks!" Mic announces. "Let's see what his homeroom teacher has to say about that!"
Eraser sighs and shakes his head, "Horizon has a habit of thinking he doesn't need any help, it showed itself in training and during USJ, fortunately, both times he was enough to overcome anything that was thrown at him, but even if he manages to win this its a horrible habit for any hero to have, because the one time you aren't enough, you'll die…" 6
"Excellent insight!" Mic cheers on his friend. "But what do you say his chances are of winning this game?"
"If the objective is collecting an item…he'll win," Eraser says flatly. "This is more of a battle for second place, but that doesn't mean everyone else won't be giving it their all." 1
"Well there you have it folks, unshakable confidence from his homeroom teacher, looks like Eraser Head has a favorite!" 11
"What! I don't ha–" the mic cuts off as they both begin bickering. 1
—15 Minutes Later…
All the teams were decided and everyone took their positions.
"Alright, the countdown starts now, one minute to mount up!" Midnight says.
As everyone gets their riders into position Horizon notices all eyes flicker over to him, standing at the far end of the arena.
With his 10 Million point headband around his neck, he turns his back to them and lifts his hand, flicking a finger upward.
TAKT!
A two-meter cube of rock is pulled out of the floor and he steps onto it before it fully rises to float a meter above the ground.
"Telekinesis!" Mic shouts.
"It's not Telekinesis," Horizon says, the mics in the arena transferring his voice across the stadium. "I command the world to move, and it moves, that's all." He raises one hand and summons his cards from his Hero Costume, then swaps one for the chair at his desk and takes a seat, still floating on the cube above the floor. 14
"Is that even allowed?!" Mic asks.
"It's completely legal!" Midnight says. "Warping items is fine once it's done after the game starts!"
As the viewers and people outside of their class are surprised Present Mic continues talking, "if he can keep that up for fifteen minutes then I guess he could be fine, if he can defend his headband for fifteen minutes that is!" 2
"I've seen him rip the tops off buildings," Eraser says in a tired voice, "he'll be fine…besides, I doubt anyone will attack him…" 1
"BEGIN!" Midnight yells, and everyone bursts into action.
All teams rushing each other, explosions and ice flying about, yelling and all types of Quirks being fired left and right, yet nobody even bothered Horizon, leaving him to sit with his 10 Million point headband and play a game on his phone.
After five minutes of intense fighting, still nobody even bothered to go near Horizon, "are they afraid of him?" Mic asks, clearly confused as Horizon just sits there on his phone, floating on the rock.
"It's because they understand," Eraser says. "They know that if they get close he'll just send them to the other side of the arena, and even if they manage to get his headband, they can't stop him from getting it back. He'd warp it back to him before the game is done and get first place, the logical thing to do is focus your energy on headbands that don't threaten his position, that way he ignores you and you get to keep your points…" 2
"No wonder he's so cocky! With a quirk like that anyone would be!" Mic says, the audience begins muttering at the revelation.
"It's not baseless confidence," Eraser says, and the crowd focuses more on his words than the ongoing fights, excited to hear anything about this new rising star. "At first I assumed he was another arrogant brat who'd either wash out of UA or I'd expel, but every time I see him in action I realize more and more how wrong that assumption was.
He can always back up his talk, and when it's time to really rise to the challenge he crushes the competition. Even when the villains attacked he took on by far the strongest villain while protecting everyone from Kurogiri, he's not all talk and baseless confidence.
And he isn't one of those people born with a godly Quirk and simply using that to get an easy life. Behind everything he says and does is over a decade of relentless training. He's the rarity of someone born at the top with a godly Quirk, yet instilled with a monstrous work ethic, constantly pushing himself over and over to bring out his absolute best self, that's how you become a licensed doctor at 15, that's how you stand up to a villain most Pros can't last seconds again. 7
Even his classmates have noticed that, his blunt and matter-of-fact way of speaking doesn't push them away anymore, because they know it's just how he truly sees things, the most effective way possible, and that's why they don't even bother to approach him.
Because they know he won't hesitate to show them exactly how far ahead he is, and they understand how far they have to go, it's also what makes that fire in them rage…because when you're sitting in a classroom with someone like that, you either crumble under the pressure, or rise to the challenge." 8
"Wow! You sure you don't have a favorite?!" Mic asks jokingly as the crowd just stares at Horizon in a new light. 1
Eraser elbows him in the head, "I don't, and it wouldn't be him of all people, Heroes should at least try to be team players," he says while glaring down at Horizon, sitting comfortably in his chair and playing his game while everyone else is fighting, giving their all. 9
–1 Minute Remaining…
Sitting comfortable and finishing up another race on his phone, Horizon sighs loudly and reaches out to his side with his right hand, grabbing Jiro's Earphone Jacks. 5
All the cameras turn to them as she tries and fails to pull them out of his grip.
"Someone finally attacked Horizon!" Mic announces, causing all the teams to spare just a glance in his direction.
"What are you trying to do here?" He swivels around in his chair to look at Jiro. Her as the front horse with Sato and Koda at the back, Toru completely naked on their shoulders, no headband, zero points. 7
"Uh," Jiro chuckles, nervous and scared. "Desperate times and all that…"
"I see," Horizon rests down his phone, noticing all cameras facing him, "I don't have a massive power output like Kaminari, but," he sparks up some blue electricity in his left hand, inching it closer to her Earphone Jacks. "My control is a lot better…" 4
"WAIT NONONONONONON!" Jiro screams. 6
"Counter Schock."
"ARRRGHHH!" Her entire team screams as they collapse to the floor, completely unconscious.
"He can use electricity too!" Mic screams, riling up the crowd.
Across the arena Kaminari pouts, "c'mon man…I've only got the one thing and you had to steal it…" 7
"TIME IS UP!" Midnight yells, ending the game.
"In first place, no surprise here, Horizon!" Mic announces, the massive screens replaying the moment he fried Jiro's team before showing him still sitting casually in his chair. 3
"In second place, team Bakugo! In third place is team Monoma! Class 1B came out to represent! In fourth, we've got team Todoroki, followed by team Midoriya barely edging out team Shinso for fifth place. 16 people from these teams will be going onto the tournament stage…but first…a 1-hour lunch break!" Mic announces. 1
After sorting out who gets to compete from the bottom teams, and some people opting out, all the names immediately appear on the board, already lined up in their brackets for the tournament.
–Tounament Round 1…
Horizon VS Monoma 26
Shiso VS Sero 4
Midoriya VS Todoroki 6
Hatsume VS Kaminari
Awase VS Bakugo 1
Iida VS Kirishima
Tokoyami VS Uraraka 1
Momo VS Juzo
Looking up at the board Horizon immediately begins walking away toward the cafeteria, seeing Jiro and her team being carted off to Recovery Girl in the distance.
'Monoma…I saw him copy Juzo's Quirk earlier… looked like he needed to touch the person, this could be interesting…' 2
"Horizon," Monoma says, causing Horizon to look over at him as he approaches. "Hey, I'm Monoma, guess you and I are up first huh," he falls into step walking to the cafeteria.
"Looks like it, so I'm guessing you're trying to figure out what Quirks you can copy from your friends to use against me, right?"
Monoma chuckles, "naturally, I need to prepare before the battle, we can't all have built-in power like you. But Tetsutetsu told me you're pretty cool, well, he said 'super manly,' but it's the same thing, I hope we have a good match."
"Sure, I hope to learn a lot from it…" Horizon says as they enter the cafeteria, going their separate ways until the gruesome and bloody match begins. 9
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
Monoma doesn't hate class 1B because when everyone was at the door to 1A Horizon didn't leave a bad impression, in canon Bakugo treated them badly and that's where it started :) 4
Predictions for the matchups?
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Chapter 52: CHAPTER 049(Built Different) 13
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"Twelve million and counting," Horizon says while scrolling on his phone. Looking at the picture he just took and posted outside the stadium. He, Death Arms, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady. "I've already got more followers than those three put together…they really don't know how to work the sheep," he mutters. 5
"And now for the first match!" Midnight announces. 1
His head snaps up and away from his phone, quickly putting it in his pocket.
Standing in the dark tunnel leading into the arena he sees the now constructed cement stage built by Cementoss. The crowd is going crazy as the first round of the 1-vs-1 tournament begins.
"Let's start big, with…1A's Class Rep, already showing that he's a prodigy even among all our genius aspiring heroes, Horizon!"
Horizon steps out of the tunnel, full PE Uniform on, the shirt unbuttoned for everyone to see the body glove on his chest, his logo in blue atop the white fabric, just barely distracting people from how the fabric clings to his chiseled body and exposes his muscles. The same symbol is in black across the back of his PE Uniform for the competition to see. 10
He takes his time walking up to the stage as Midnight announces Monoma, stirring the crowd into a smaller but still absurd wave of chaos.
Eventually both students are standing opposite each other on the stage, looking around to see all eyes on them. One-on-one Horizon's size shows, standing 20cm -8in-taller than Monoma, the much thinner and lankier blonde contrasting greatly to Horizon's now bulkier build, still lean but muscles clearly making themselves known through his uniform.
"Are both of you ready?" Midnight asks.
Monoma nods.
"Actually," Horizon speaks up, surprising everyone. "Since your Quirk is Copy I'm sure you've prepared something for me, but I'm curious, would you like to copy my Quirk?" 4
"You would let me just, copy your Quirk? Just like that?" Monoma asks skeptically.
"I'm curious about what happens if a regular person tries it, since it is the most powerful Quirk in the world," Horizon shrugs as everyone just stares in surprise, never expecting such a blatant and seemingly outlandish boast. 11
"Well, if you insist," Monoma smiles sinisterly. "Since you're the main character here I'm sure I can use that power to win this match…" 2
Horizon chuckles and pulls up the sleeve on his left hand, separating the glove and sleeve of his body glove to expose the inner forearm of his left hand, where there were no tattoos, gesturing for Monoma to make contact.
The audience is at the edge of their seat to see what happens.
Monoma raises a brow at the sight of Horizon's watch. "You brought a Rolex to a battle? That seems rather careless…" 2
"Oh please, the USJ Nomu couldn't even hit me, how would any of you ever manage to break it?" 4
Monoma narrows his eyes at him and reaches out, touching Horizon's skin with his fingers.
Horizon feels a tingling at the back of his mind and shrugs it off.
"That's odd," Monoma says. "I felt it, but…it didn't let me Copy it." 6
"I rejected your Quirk, I just wanted to see if I could." 14
"You re–"
"For real this time," Horizon once again presents his arm, "no tricks."
Monoma looks equal parts annoyed and impressed, but can't pass up the chance to become the main character for a short while. Without hesitation he reaches out, and immediately feels his entire body tingling as the Quirk manifests within him.
Monoma shakes his head a bit and stumbles back, a wide smile on his face as he giggles like a madman. 1
"You ok?" Horizon asks, slight concern in his voice as he and Midnight watch Monoma begin to hop in place.
"I feel great. Like I could run a marathon. It's like a sugar rush. Is this how you always feel? It's incredible. What does your Quirk do anyway? Man this is great. Everything is all tingly." Monoma breaks out in another fit of giggles. 3
"Oh no," Horizon says, earning concerned looks from Midnight and the audience. "Ok Monoma, listen very carefully to me," he raises his hands gently to keep Monoma calm. "You need to cancel Copy on my Quirk, and no matter what, don't try to activate it, alright?"
Midnight immediately walks over to Horizon, ready to rip her costume to sedate Monoma.
Monoma looks confused, then with all the energy in his body, his fight or flight response kicks into overdrive, "why would I do that? This is a trick isn't it? You don't want me to win! But I can feel it, I can win, this feels great," he raises a hand and swings it at Horizon, "warp away!"
"Oh crap… I didn't think his body would react like this," Horizon says, and everyone hears through Midnight's mic.
"Like what?" she asks, now seeing Monoma frozen in place, blood quickly flowing from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. "Monoma!" 2
"It's fine…kinda," Horizon says, holding her back from rushing forward and approaching Monoma. "It's just my Quirk."
The entire arena is deathly silent as the scene unfolds.
Monoma collapses into Horizon's arms and he gently places him on the ground, immediately summoning his healing energy into his palm and placing it on the unconscious Monoma's head.
"Your Quirk?"
"He tried to activate it, so it started killing him," Horizon says. "My Quirk requires the user to essentially be superhuman in terms of how much energy is in your body and how much information your brain can process. His body tried to rapidly increase the energy capacity within it, hence the sugar rush, and his brain tried to expand, tearing itself apart, hence the bleeding. 4
But that isn't enough for my Quirk. You also need to be able to comprehend what you process…meaning he literally wasn't smart enough to sort and apply the sudden influx of information my Quirk caused, his body tried to adapt by ripping energy away from anything that wasn't his brain to force more growth."
"It tried to make his organs fail," Midnight mutters out in shock and horror. "What kind of Quirk does such a thing, how is that even possible?"
"My Quirk ignored the safeguards that Copy has built into it, I didn't even think he'd be able to copy my Quirk, figured it'd be a dud. He's a lot better than I thought. But he just isn't built like me, to handle this kind of situation…" 7
"Superhuman," Midnight says, recalling what Horizon just said. "Will he be ok?"
Horizon takes his hand away from Monoma, standing as the medical robots bring a stretcher into the arena, "he just needs some drips and sleep, he'll be fine in a few hours, but I doubt he'd remember any of this," he shrugs.
As the robots load Monoma onto the stretcher and haul him away only Horizon and Midnight are left in the arena, "that's some Quirk you've got there…" she says awkwardly, trying to get the atmosphere back in a good mood.
"Yeah, but it's not meant for regular humans, anyway I guess this means I win, right?" 5
Midnight nods, "Horizon moves on to the next round!" 1
The crowd goes wild once again, as if they didn't see a teenager almost die in front of them. 2
"Didn't even have to throw a punch or get him out of bounds… pretty easy."
Midnight rolls her eyes, "try not to do things like that to all your opponents please, you're not supposed to kill your opponent, you're training to be a hero remember," she warns him.
"Hey, I didn't know that would happen."
"Which is the only reason you aren't disqualified, but don't pull a stunt like that again," she glares at him.
"Gotcha," he says before walking off the stage.
Making his way back to his class's seats he sees Momo wave for him to sit with her and Jiro.
"So you always put people in the infirmary?" Jiro asks with a bit of edge to her voice as he sits on the other side of Momo. "I just got out of there after you tried to fry my brain and now Monoma's in there for pretty much the same reason." 5
"Hey you attacked me, and as for him, it's not my fault he isn't built to handle my power, but it's not surprising, mortals and divinity have a terrible track record when they meet…" 47
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 53: CHAPTER 050(Round 1-First Half)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
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CHAPTER START–
"Did anyone see that guy use his Quirk?" Horizon asks, sitting at the end of the front row in 1As seating area above the arena.
With Momo to his left, Jiro beside her, Tokoyami just behind him with Tsu, the other students scattered about chatting quietly. 1
"I don't recall him using it in the previous events," Momo says, all their eyes falling to Shinso as he enters the arena, Sero standing happily across from him.
"Well if he wins he'll be against me next, so it doesn't really matter," Horizon shrugs.
"You could at least pretend to be a bit apprehensive to the challenge," Momo says. "Some would say it's unsportsmanlike to speak in such a way of your competition, even if it is true…"
"That cocky attitude is gonna bite you in the ass someday," Jiro mutters, Earphone Jacks still bandaged from the electrical burns.
"I doubt that, but even if it does, it won't be in a tournament like this," Horizon says. "This event has a clear out-of-bounds rule, so I can honestly win whenever I want. That's the same rule that gives other people a chance but limits others simply based on the matchup, but even if it were to the death I'd still easily win…" 7
"What do you mean?" Tsu asks from behind him.
"Well…take Tokoyami VS Uraraka for example. Her Quirk requires something to activate it on, make a car weightless then throw it and deactivate her Quirk at the last moment for maximum damage. But here she doesn't have any items aside from her clothes and herself, if she makes herself weightless Dark Shadow will swat her away and she can't adjust her trajectory in the air. And she'd have to get close or touch Dark Shadow to make Tokoyami weightless and throw him away."
"Well yes but then she can toss him out of bounds and win, right?" Momo asks.
"Nope, not a chance in hell," Horizon says. "At least not if Tokoyami has a brain."
"I do," Tokoyami says behind them. 3
"See, easy win," Horizon explains. "If she touches him and removes gravity from him and Dark Shadow, since they are one being, then she'll try to throw him out of the arena, but he can just anchor himself by having Dark Shadow dig into the floor, and since she's tiny and Dark Shadow has some muscle to it…"
"He'll throw her out instead," Momo says. "I see…I hadn't considered that people can anchor themselves."
"Same thing Kirishima would do with some hardening on his fingers, use them like spears," Horizon shrugs. "This is a shitty setting for Zero Gravity, either she throws them before they anchor, or she somehow overpowers them…both situations are basically impossible. And a lot of people like Bakugo and I don't even care if she makes us float because we have either aerial or instant mobility."
"I will admit I came to the same conclusion," Tokoyami says. "But I didn't want to speak down on my classmate's chances in such a way."
"It is what it is, some people just aren't meant to fight in a setting like this…" 3
"I failed to consider the matchups and environment properly," Momo quietly admits. "I have much to learn." 2
"Same here," Jiro says. "But at least your Quirk can be useful in an event like this, I'd probably just get my Earphone Jacks pulled out of the air, and then they'd toss me out of the arena."
"Probably," Horizon says. "You'll notice all the one-trick pony style Quirks getting taken out quickly, assuming they even made it this far, honestly I would have bet on Tokoyami meeting me in the finals if so many people didn't have a direct counter to him…" 8
"Likewise," Tokoyami says, surprising all of them. They'd never expected Horizon of all people to speak favorable to his Quirk, and for him to agree as well. "These conditions are among the worst for Dark Shadow…" 2
"LET THE SECOND MATCH BEGIN!" Midnight yells, causing the crowd to erupt in noise.
Sero immediately fires off two lines of tape, trapping Shinso as they wrap around his arms and torso.
As he's being dragged to the edge of the stage Shinso yells, obviously panicked, not expecting the instant attack, "do you really think people will ever let someone with such freaky elbows become a hero?!"
"Ye–" Sero froze, eyes going dull and arms falling to his side. 2
"Good, now walk off the stage," Shinso commands, and Sero does exactly that.
The audience was able to hear everything thanks to the mics, and Eraser immediately gave an explanation.
"Hitoshi Shinso, Quirk: Brainwashing, he can control people who respond to him, it requires him to activate it so its only when he wants…A perfect Quirk for dealing with hostage situations and most villains. But because UA makes students wanting to enter the Hero Course fight robots he couldn't even use it…a clear oversight on our part…" he says in a tired voice. 14
As Shinso and Sero clear the stage Momo turns to Horizon. "Looks like all you have to do is not speak and you'll win, I guess you're practically in the semi-finals already."
Horizon sighs, "honestly I was hoping to at least have some fun…but I guess it's just a bunch of easy fights."
"You know you'd be a lot cooler if you were nice to people," Jiro says.
"Like heroes are expected to be, like All Might," Momo adds. 1
"Yeah, and I'd always be exhausted from that crap, I already have to act like these people are worth saving to their faces," he gestures to the cheering crowd as Deku and Todoroki take the stage. "I'm not doing that shit around all of you too."
"If you don't care about people, why are you here?" Tsu asks.
"Because being a hero is just another job, the reason doesn't matter…just do it the best you can, no matter what. Does it matter if I'm not some bleeding heart moron like All Might if I save just as many people?" 2
They think about it for a moment, then Momo nods in agreement, "well, I guess it doesn't." 3
"Exactly, all that matters, is whatever the reward is, I think it's worth risking my life and the life of everyone I care about…at least if I was showing my face and using my name like you people…"
Before anyone can even question what he means, a gust of cold wind blasts the crowd.
"He's breaking fingers," Horizon says as he notices what just happened, Deku did a super strong flick to shatter Todoroki's ice attack.
"Such power, both of them!" Tokoyami yells.
"If Todoroki has a brain he wins in the next attack," Horizon says, causing everyone to glance at him before setting their eyes back to the stage.
Another clash, Deku breaks a second finger to counter Todorki's ice, keeping them at a stalemate.
Horizon leans back in his seat, obviously disappointed. "Never mind I guess, should have expected this when two of the most pathetic levels of Quirk Mastery in our class are put together…freaking meatheads, I at least expected more from Endeavor's kid," he grumbles.
They all keep those words at the back of their mind, not quite understanding them, and certainly not willing to ask him directly, knowing he'd likely verbally rip them apart for even doing that.
"What are they even talking about?" Horizon questions aloud as the battle rages on. "Feelings? 'It's your power'? Did I miss something or are they just as emotional and stupid as I thought?"
"Both," Tsu says. "Todoroki declared war on Midoriya while you were off talking to Midnight and the other Class Reps."
"On Deku? Talk about punching down…but not by much honestly."
"You truly think them that similar?" Momo asks, her invincible image of Todoroki long since shattered and replaced with Horizon. 1
"Well they're both meatheads flailing at each other screaming about feelings aren't they," he gestures to the arena where the fight kept going, "you tell me." 2
"Right," she nods along. "I also saw them speaking privately while we all went for lunch, maybe something happened that we missed."
"Whatever it is, it's brought out quite incredible power from both of them," Jiro says.
"Powerful doesn't mean good, or useful," Horizon says as the fight continues.
Eventually, after a lot more broken bones, screaming, and tears, the final clash ends with Todoroki activating his fire for the first time since joining UA.
Everyone hears Endeavor yelling, but pays him no mind and an explosion rocks the arena, Cementoss erects soft walls to ease the damage. 8
And when the mist and dust clear, Deku is crumpled against the far wall while Todoroki is cushioned by his ice…
"TODOROKI WINS!" Midnight announces.
"Looks like the pennies are adding up," Horizon says, looking at Deku's mangled arm and fingers, dark purple and torn up as he gets hauled off to Recovery Girl.
"Will he be able to move his arm again?" Momo asks, clear concern in her voice.
"Yeah, but regular healing Quirks can't fix that…he'll have serious lasting damage this time, the damage is adding up more and more with each use, best guess, one or two more injuries like that and he's out of the Hero Course." 5
"Unless you heal him," Momo says.
"The only way that's happening is if he can afford to outbid my other clients -which he can't-, and I'd need to somehow agree to heal someone that will certainly hurt themself again. I've only ever made one exception for a person like that, I'm not making it a habit."
"Well, what if I were to bid for him?" Momo asks. "it would be a shame for someone with such a heroic spirit not to see their dreams become real, just think about all the people he can save." 2
"I don't think your allowance is gonna cut it, actually I don't think your family can afford it," Horizon says.
"What if it does?"
Horizon chuckles, "of course the rich girl doesn't know the cost of anything…minimum bid is fifty million…and let's just say the leading bid for my next operation is a lot higher than that, even you can't afford me."
Momo looks genuinely confused, while everyone who knows the actual value of money looks horrified. "People pay that much for healthcare?" Momo asks. 1
"No, I don't sell healthcare, I deal in time," Horizon corrects her. "I can give and take time with the people you love, so tell me, is there anything you wouldn't pay if I'm the only person in the world that can give you time with your loved ones?"
Nobody responds to that for a long tense moment until Tsu speaks up. "You really can charge whatever you want…"
"More than that, I can do whatever I want, because I'm Horizon, everyone wants a piece of me…I'm a walking miracle, do you honestly think any politician is gonna risk moving against me now that the word is out that I can practically heal anything?" he chuckles darkly, knowing the media was already devouring that anonymous information they received earlier. "If Recovery Girl decided to murder someone in the street the government wouldn't touch her…I can't imagine what I could get away with…" 15
The cold and sharp edge in his voice sent a chill down their spines. Someone seemingly all-powerful and untouchable, a truly dangerous existence. 2
By the time everyone comes to their senses, Hatsume has already surrendered after using Kaminari as a practice dummy for her capture devices, more amusing than anything else for people who aren't interested in support equipment. 2
'Hover Soles huh,' Horizon eyes the boots she has on that let her float above the floor. 'That looks fun…' 12
"And with that, the first half of the first round of this game is complete!" Midnight announces, "now let's welcome our next competitors…"
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
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Chapter 54: CHAPTER 051(Round 1-Second Half)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the waiting room, Iida anxiously taps his foot, looking at the screen in the corner of the room.
"As expected from Bakugo," Iida says as he sees his classmate immediately blast Awase out of the arena, putting a quick end to their lackluster match. "I just hope I don't disappoint Tensei," he says while getting up and walking outside.
Thoughts dwelling on his brother, the number 19 Pro Hero Ingenium. He is fighting to live up to the hero his brother is, the hero his brother believes he will become.
He walks past Bakugo, paying no mind to the focused look on Bakugo's face as they pass each other in the tunnel to the arena. Standing at the edge of the doorway he takes a breath to calm himself, listing to the crowd cheering as Present Mid announces Kirishima. 4
And a moment later he is called to the arena, quickly walking onto the stage to stand opposite Kirishima, a friendly smile on the boy's faces as Iida just gives a small smile and a curt nod.
"BEGIN!" Midnight announces.
Iida immediately hops backward, putting nearly a dozen meters between him and Kirishima.
Kirishima just barely missed as he had lunged forward to grab Iida, not wanting him to get any distance to reach higher speeds.
Iida bursts into a sprint, the cheering crowd blocked out, only seeing himself and his opponent, another step toward the hero Ingenium, toward his brother.
The Engines in his calves kick into second gear, unable to reach 3rd gear without a full 30 meters. But it's enough, Kirishima can't react in time as Iida rushes past him and pivots, grabbing his shoulder and arm, feeling his skin like a rock beneath his fingers as he twists his body to throw Kirishima out of the arena.
CRACK!
"Huh?!" Iida feels Kirishima become entirely immovable, just barely turning to see a hardened fist flying toward his face.
"Ach!" Iida winces as he leaps back, putting 10 meters between them and softening the impact of Kirishima's punch, a massive gash spanning his entire cheek and leaving a bruise on his face.
"Kirishima anchored himself to the ring!" Present Mic announces as everyone notices one of his feet hardened and ankle-deep in the cement stage. "A genius move, who would have even thought of that!" 8
Iida relaxes slightly and evaluates the situation, knowing that attacking Kirishima head-on would likely hurt him more than his opponent, instead taking the time to breathe and let his engines cool down a bit.
"So you were paying attention earlier as well…" Iida says, baiting Kirishima into a conversation. The mics focused on the arena transmitting their voices to the stands and everyone watching at home.
"Yup!" Kirishima gives a dazzling smile. "I may not like the way he says things, but Horizon is a genius at pretty much everything, especially Quirks and fighting, so when he talks, I listen…and that includes earlier when he used me as an example of how to deal with people that want to knock us out of the ring…guess I got lucky huh," Kirishima chuckles, not at all ashamed to admit that this wasn't his strategy. 1
"I see, and I entirely agree with that sentiment," Iida says, backing up slightly and shifting down into a runner's stance, looking up and narrowing his eyes at Kirishima. "But as I recall, he said your strategy won't work if I can simply rip you out of the ground with pure power…right?" 1
Kirishima smiles, excited to test himself against Iida, hardening his fist and clanging them together, "bring it!"
"RECIPRO….BURST!" Blue flames burst out of Iida's exhausts on both legs, all twelve ports drawing the eyes of everyone as for the first time he shows off his Super Move, something developed for this tournament, to show his brother how far he's come on the path to being a hero. 1
The cement beneath Iida's feet cracks as he rockets forward, most of the crowd and even the Pro Heroes can barely recognize him as a blur, Kirishima premptively hardens as much of his body as he can, crossing his arms in front of his chest and bracing himself. 8
As Iida is about to make contact he finishes his charge with a leap, raising both his feet up to dropkick Kirishima directly against his arms. 1
"OVER TORQUE!" Iida screams as he draws out all the power he can from his engine.
The hardening on Kirishima's forearms is shattered as the cement around his foot is ripped apart.
He rockets out of the arena and slams into the far wall as Iida drops to his feet, taking deep breaths as his engines sputter out.
The entire arena is silent as most of the people try to understand what they just saw, or more likely, what they didn't see.
One moment Iida says Recipro Burst, and the next, the match was over…
"Iida wins!" Midnight announces, and the crowd takes that as the queue to go wild. Midnight looks over to Kirishima as he gets to his feet, the skin on his forearms missing along with a massive chunk of the reinforced wall missing where he hit, blood dripping to the grass at his feet. "Kirishima?"
"I'm ok!" He gladly announces, wincing in pain slightly as he raises his hand to give Iida a thumbs up, "that was awesome man! You've been holding out on us!"
Iida gives him a thumbs up and a smile, "you certainly were a worthy opponent!" 5
Even if he didn't win, many Pros in the stands make not of Eijiro Kirishima's manly spirit and tough Quirk, contributing greatly to the internship offers he would inevitably receive. 4
While Cementoss began working to fix the stage Iida and Kirishima made their exit, Iida only shared a polite nod with Uraraka as he returned to his locker room to make his way back to his class in the stands.
Normally he would have wished her good luck, but with how anxious and focused she was he didn't want to distract her in even the smallest way, and he can't blame her one bit for how she felt.
Everyone was listening in earlier when Horizon spoke about this matchup, Tokoyami is an intimidating foe…and Horizon says in this environment she can't win, Iida only hopes she will be able to find a path to victory that none of them have been able to see.
Iida makes it back to the locker room and takes out his phone, deciding to use the TV in the room to not miss any of the match that he surely wouldn't have seen walking back to the stands.
Dialing his brother's number he lifts the phone to his ear as the match begins, seeing Tokoyami give a polite bow to the girl as Midnight begins the match.
His brother's voice greets him, "you've reached Tensei Iida, sorry I can't come to the phone right now as I'm currently busy, but if you leave a voicema–" Iida hangs up.
And at the same time Midnight calls the match "Tokoyami wins!"
Tokoyami bows politely as they both exit the arena, Uraraks looking thoroughly defeated even if she didn't take any direct hits.
Dark Shadow simply grappled her and lifted her off the ground to remove her leverage, tossed her out of the ring, defeated by ring-out.
"So quickly," Iida mutters, if he had decided to walk to the stands then he would have surely missed the entire match.
A moment later Momo enters the waiting room, looking nervous, caught off-guard by him still being there.
"Sorry, I'll leave you to prepare," he gives her a polite nod which she stiffly returns and exits the room.
Moments later Momo is walking out of the tunnel and up the stair to the ring.
"From class 1A, Momo Yaoyorozu!" the crowd goes wild as Momo gives a polite wave. "And her opponent, from class 1B, Juzo Honenuki!" Midnight gestures to the lanky ash blonde spiky-haired boy. Only an inch taller than Momo with large eyes and pale skin, his mouth lacking lips, exposing his blocky teeth entirely for everyone to see, much like Ectoplasm. 2
Both combatants give each other a polite yet serious nod before the match begins.
'I'll have to act first since I don't know his Quirk, I need defense and offense…maybe if I can knock him out I can win, otherwise, I'd likely have to–'
"BEGIN!" Midnight interrupts her thoughts.
Momo immediately creates a sword in her left hand and a metal shield on her left, rushing forward. 2
Juzo drops to the floor before she can even take a second step and slams both palms onto the ground.
The entire arena suddenly becomes soft causing both of them to sink into it. Momo sinks up to her neck in barely four seconds while Juzo only sinks to his knees, beads of sweat running down his face as he tries to catch his breath.
His control was still not perfect, otherwise, he could have simply used his Quirk to soften the cement under her feet alone, but because he wanted to make the ground as close to water to sink her as quickly as possible, he lost a bit of control with the affected area.
His Quirk, Softening, it allows him to make any inorganic material into soft mud, the viscosity of the mud is controlled by him of course, but he still hasn't fully mastered his Quirk yet. 9
The ground immediately hardens around Momo as Juzo steps out of it.
"Momo, can you move?" Midnight asks, seeing only the girl's head sticking out of the flow.
Momo scrunched up her face and shakes her head, unable to bring herself to say the words. 3
Midnight nods in sympathy, "Juzo wins!"
"Another near instant victory!" Mic announces as Cementoss fixes the stage and frees Momo. "As expected from one of our recommended students folks, don't let class 1As fame distract you from the talent of class 1B! We'll be back with the second round after a ten-minute snack break!" 7
Those words reach Momo's ears as she walks back to the locker room, and the moment she's alone the dam breaks.
Tears begin flowing freely down her cheeks as she sits on a bench in the locker room, quietly sobbing.
The mounting pressure being too much for her to take, now feeling as if the teachers agreed, that they saw her as so unworthy of being a Recommended Student that they simply forgot she was.
'How can I even blame them, of course, they think I'm unworthy…I'm so useless…I can't do anything right!' she berates herself, tears flowing more and more as the volume of her cries increases.
More thoughts constantly comparing herself to the other Recommended Students, to the other students in general, to HIM of all people.
And what feels like a moment later, he walks in, heading to his match with Shinso.
Horizon enters the room and quietly closes the door behind him, confidently walking toward the other door to enter the arena.
Momo stares at him, trying and failing to stop the tears, stifling her sobs, wanting nothing more than him, the person in UA she admires the most, her gold standard for being confident and capable, the person that has so quickly become somewhat of a hero to her, to reach out and extend a hand to her.
To lift her up, like any hero would when they see someone in need.
But instead, he walks right past her, not even sparing her a glance as he speaks, "don't cry about your problems, just work to fix them, get better so you don't repeat them…this is so fucking pathetic…" 24
Those words were all he needed to tell himself to pull himself together after losing his parents, but here, it only made Momo burst into loud sobs. 5
Being called pathetic by him of all people, it was more than her heart could take at the moment, even if later she would better understand what he really meant. 16
Her sobs continued even as Jiro entered to comfort her, and even as Mic announced the next match. 6
Horizon VS Hitoshi Shinso, Round 2 of the matches, the quarter-finals begins… 1
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
I really hope by now ya'll weren't expecting him to be nice just because its Momo. 24
BakugoIidaTokoyami, these are my personal fave 1A characters, finally got to give Iida some spotlight, made me really happy :) 6
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Chapter 55: CHAPTER 052(Beyond Control)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Horizon stepped into the arena to the sound of the crowd trying to deafen him with cheers. Looking around he saw people frantically waving at him giving them a polite wave in response before placing both his hands back in his pants pockets.
His PE Uniform shirt was still open, exposing the white body glove below and the blue logo printed across its chest, matching the black version on the back of the shirt. 1
Throughout the entire competition, everyone could tell that he's been completely unbothered, strolling past the finish line while everyone else was fighting to survive.
And nothing changed as Shinso entered the arena to stand opposite him, wild purple hair and dreary eyes accented by a frown on his lips. 1
Midnight quickly declared the match to begin, setting off the first match of the semi-finals.
But neither student bothered to move, Horizon stayed rooted in place looking down at the shorter boy, and Shinso looked up at his visor with a bored expression, even as the crowd fell silent in anticipation, they did nothing.
Shinso looks up at the announcer's booth and groans, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess since Eraser Head revealed how my quirk works…I certainly can't expect mister miracle himself to be dumb enough to actually talk to me, right?
I mean, you're supposed to be a genius even compared to everyone that's ever attended UA…so maybe I should just surrender rather than pushing my luck, right? 2
Even with a Quirk like yours, once I get you to talk it's game over, but that'll never happen now that you know how I operate, I just hope I've done enough for the Pros to see how useful I can be…."
Beneath his visor Horizon rolls his eyes, "and why would I ever be concerned about some weak, untrained, one-trick-pony, that can't do anything without his Quirk?" 2
The crowd gasps in shock and horror, people all around the world who placed bets on Horizon felt like crying.
But Shinso looks confused, shaking his head, not understanding this anomaly.
"Why…why isn't my Quirk working on you?" he asks, feeling his Quirk connecting but being shrugged off. 2
"Tch, in what world do you, or anyone else for that matter, ever get to tell me what to do?" 12
Again Brainwashing connects and is shrugged off, "this…this doesn't make sense, I felt it connect!" Shinso begins panicking.
"Did you honestly think your Quirk was invincible?" Horizon asks, a small chuckle leaving his mouth as he shakes his head. "There is no such thing as an invincible Quirk or person, everyone and everything has a weakness…unfortunately for you, the weakness to your Quirk, is me." 3
"Weakness?" Shinso asks, taking a step back in surprise.
"Your Quirk operates on a Telepathic foundation, same as Eraser Head, or actual telepathy and body manipulation Quirks. Those simply don't work on me without my permission," Horizon shrugs. "I've shrugged off people a hundred times more powerful than you," he recalls Mind-Binder, from the day his parents were taken.
"That's impossible!" Shinso growls out. 3
"Yes, I am impossible, I get that a lot," Horizon gloats. "My Quirk allows me to simply reject Quirks that try to manipulate my mind or body, pathetic little things trying to tell me what to do, as if they have any right. See the only boss of me, is me, I simply exist beyond control…so how about you get off my stage, because you're all out of tricks…" 11
Shinso feels his emotions swelling, being looked down on once again by someone with a more 'heroic' Quirk, by UA's new golden boy from the sounds of it.
All logic demands he take the opportunity to walk away, escape unharmed, he's already proven how useful he is by getting past Sero.
But he drops into a fighting stance, untrained and sloppy, but determined, gritting his teeth, charging forward.
Wanting nothing more than to prove himself, by taking on the top Hero Course student.
"Takt," Horizon takes his right hand out of his pocket and flicks his pointer finger toward the sky.
One word and no effort seemingly crushes a dream as a thin pillar of cement is raised from the ground and quickly slams into Shinso's torso. 4
Lifting him a few meters in the air, folded over the top of the pillar, completely blacked out.
"Shinso is out!" Midnight announces, causing the crowd to go wild yet again. "We'll be taking a five-minute break before the next match to repair the stage!"
Cementoss begins walking over to the stage, intent on using his Quirk to safely retrieve Shinso and repair the floor Horizon uprooted.
Horizon takes bored steps off the stage, making his way back into the tunnel and to his seat, at least that was his plan.
He saw Todoroki standing in the tunnel, ready for his match against Kaminari, intending to pass by his classmate without saying a word. 4
"Wait," Todoroki raises a hand to block Horizon as Cementoss begins working on the stage. "I want to talk to you."
"The feeling isn't mutual–" 1
"It's about my father," Todoroki says. 4
Horizon decides not to simply push past him or warp away, curious about what he could learn about Endeavor, the only person with perfect Quirk Mastery, to his knowledge atleast.
He takes a step away, almost leaning against the opposite wall, hands still in his pockets, "I'm listening…"
"I recently became…inspired, by my new friend, to overcome my past."
"What?"
Todoroki takes a deep breath to calm himself, not quite sure how Deku was able to reach out and help people so easily, but determined to do the same thing for Horizon. 1
"My Quirk, Half-Hot Half-Cold, is the result of a Quirk marriage."
"I already knew that," Horizons says.
"What?" Todoroki looks shocked, not expecting Deku to blab about this. "How?"
"Seriously? What are the chances of the most powerful fire Quirk making a kid with a Quirk that perfectly compensates for its weaknesses?"
Todoroki nods stiffly, "I see, that makes sense, well. The purpose of all of this, was for me to be a stronger Hero that All Might himself, something my father could never be, so he forced me into that role. He wanted to create the perfect Hero, someone who could do things that nobody else could dream of matching." 1
Horizon nods, prompting Shoto to continue.
"Because of this, I've been trained since the day I manifested my Quirk, non-stop, relentless, torturous training. Until my mind and body couldn't take anymore, and he just kept going. Eventually, it became too much, and my mother tried to stop it," Shoto winces at the memory of Endeavor hitting his mom. "Things only got worse from there."
"Mhm," Horizon just nods, not really paying much mind to any of this story, simply not seeing how any of this family drama would involve him.
Shoto raises a hand to his scar, drawing Horizon's eyes to it. "The suffering and torment I went through, it left scars that can't be seen as easily as this one, the kind of things that I'll be trying to heal for a very long time, on my entire family." He glances to the arena to see the preparations near complete. "My friend reached out a hand, to help me move forward and heal from my past, so I'd like to be someone that can do that for you, so that we may move forward together, I want to be someone like him…" 9
Horizon blinks a few times, completely confused but seemingly unaffected from what Shoto could see because of his visor. "What?"
"To become as strong as you are, even stronger than me…I can't imagine the hell and torment you must have endured from your parents, the way you always speak of them harshly training you, since you were very young…I believe you and I are the same, forced to carry out the desires of our cruel and abusive parents…so we can walk forward together. To carve our own path in this world, as heroes." 25
Betraying all the rage and fury Horizon felt, he simply leaned forward and rests a hand on Shoto's shoulder, "good luck in your match," he says before walking away, leaving Shoto completely confused. 14
Fighting outside of the arena would get him in trouble and put his contract at risk, so he'll save it for when they fought in the next round.
Shoto just frowned, looking at Horizon's back as he walks away, oblivious to the surgery preparation already happening, to the operation room he was already standing in. 1
"I guess I'm not as good as saving people as you, Midoriya," Shoto mutters as the next match begins… 33
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
So if you're surprised that he can just ignore Shinso's Quirk…he already shrugged off a top 20 hero that was all about telepathy like 6 chapters in, now you know how it works. 2
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Chapter 56: CHAPTER 053(Quarter-Finals)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Standing in one of the bathrooms of the stadium Horizon is leaning forward, both hands down on the counter.
This was one of the bathrooms only accessible to students on the upper levels, and he was currently using it to get some control of himself.
From beneath his visor he stared into the mirror, but instead of seeing the visor starting back. He saw Law Matani, face bare, pacing around shouting and screaming. 2
All the emotions he felt when Todoroki began running his mouth.
Insulting his family. 2
Making his insane assumptions.
'He needs to pay,' the reflection says, his voice in a low growl as it stands in front of the sink, glaring at Horizon. 'People need to learn not to make assumptions about our family, not to talk about them…' 26
"Yeah…I'll educate him," Horizon says in response, and they both nod at that. 6
Logic and reason gone the moment someone mentions his parents in such a way. 3
"Kaminari is frozen in place!" Mic's voice echoes through the halls and into the bathroom. "That means Todoroki advances to the semi-finals, and his next opponent will be Horizon!" 10
Horizon stands up properly, smiling at the announcement, a smile shared by his reflection, his inner voice.
"Looks like I'll get my chance…" he mutters before leaving the room.
Normally he'd just warp back to his seat instead of taking the short walk, but at the moment he couldn't.
One of the few times he's vulnerable is when preparing for an operation, such as right now.
Normally he'd be safe in a private room with his patient, make contact once, find what he wants to extract, then gather the energy to make it happen.
But this was different, he didn't have the luxury of keeping in contact with his next patient. He simply had to make contact for barely a few seconds, locate his target, then break contact and begin focusing his energy. 1
And right now he was still entirely focused on Todoroki who was walking through the locker room.
Using another technique would disrupt this and restart the process, and he'd rather not take the chance, he also wouldn't recover any of this spent energy or the sum used to keep open a room that could span nearly half the stadium to keep them both inside it.
Most notably thus far he used this technique to extract the drugs from the son of a patient in Dubai.
He's so focused that he doesn't respond while passing by Tokoyami, just giving his classmate a polite nod as he heads to his waiting room.
And he pays no attention to Iida's phone conversation, but at a glance he sees tears rolling down the boy's face, a petrified expression seizing him. Immediately shoving that to the back of his mind, it was simply not his problem. 3
Arriving back to where his class was seated he stands at the back almost against the wall, noticing Momo and Jiro sitting at the front. Jiro turns around to shoot him a dirty look while Momo doesn't respond to his return.
'What the hell is her problem?' he wonders, genuinely not understanding how his words weren't seen as encouragement. It's how he's always been raised to think after all. 7
Horizon remains at the back with his arms folded across his chest, everyone could somehow feel the subtle anger radiating off him, wisely deciding not to bother him for idle chatter.
And a moment later Tokoyami and Juzo take the stage.
"And now for the last bout of the quarter-finals!" Midnight announces, catching everyone off guard. "Unfortunately Tenya Iida had to leave early for a family emergency, so after this match, Bakugo automatically advances to the next round!"
Bakugo gets visibly enraged at that, not having the full challenge he wanted to prove that he's the undisputed best.
Now if he wins people would be able to doubt his victory because of this free pass to the semi-finals. 4
Horizon also sees Deku sitting with Uraraka, she takes out her phone immediately, likely to text Iida. Deku had both his hands in casts, his right arm as well. And both his legs were covered in bandages, along with his torso.
'The pennies are adding up…' Horizon thinks, noticing the scars and newly crooked fingers on Deku's right hand as the girl walks past him, phone to her ear to call Iida. 3
"Now onto the match!" Midnight gestures to Tokoyami. "Class 1As dark samurai himself, Tokoyami, and his seemingly invincible Quirk, Dark Shadow! Versus…" she gestures to Juzo. "Class 1Bs leading star, Juzo Honenuki, and his versatile Quirk, Softening! Are you ready?!"
Both boys nod, staring blankly at each other.
"BEGIN!"
"Da—argh!" before Tokoyami can even summon Dark Shadow Juzo slams both palms into the ground, using his super move.
"Muddy Swamp!" Juzo yells out.
"A super move!" Mic's shocked voice electrifies the audience. "Looks like the recommended student is here to show out!"
Before Tokoyami could even summon his Quirk Juzo had already softened the entire stage, causing the bird boy to sink up to his neck into the softened cement before making it thick enough to completely trap him, exactly like he did to defeat Momo.
Juzo pants a few times, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, still standing ankle-deep on the softened floor. "Done, you're immobilized!"
"Class 1B is here to show out too!" Mic screams, echoed by the crowd. 1
Seeing Tokoyami breaking out into a cold sweat, his expression changing to one of pain and terror in a heartbeat, Midnight moves to end the match. "Tok–"
"NO!" Tokoyami interrupts her, drawing all eyes to him as the stadium and Juzo silently wait to see what he does. "Too much Darkness…can't control… DARK SHADOW! STOP!" 3
The softened cement around Tokoyami ripples, Juzo immediately slams his palms into the floor and hardens it into solid cement once more, trapping Tokoyami and his own ankles in the floor.
But Tokoyami keeps struggling, "it's too much! DARK SHADOW! NO!" 2
The entire arena cracks and begins breaking apart as Juzo looks down horrified, feeling something moving below, shaking the entire stage.
"R R R R R R A A A A R G G H H ! ! ! ! " 5
An explosion of cement and dust shakes the entire arena, a gust of wind much smaller than Deku's finger flicks rushes past the crowd in every direction.
The ten-meter-tall outline of Tokoyami's shadow monster Quirk manifests for all to see, screaming and roaring in a way that made most of the attending Pro Heroes recoil in fear.
Blood curling and throats drying up, sweating profusely at the terrifying aura of destructive force.
A moment later the dust is cleared up and everyone gets a glimpse at the massive shadow demon before the sunlight beats it back into submission, causing it to shrink back into the docile Dark Shadow.
"I'm sorry Fumi," it politely says, shyly kneading its hands together as the boy is on his hands and knees on the completely destroyed stage trying to catch his break. 2
"Juzo?!" Tokoyami yells, looking around for his opponent, terrified at the idea of hurting him while everyone just stared in shock.
Off a fair distance away, he sees the walkway leading to the stage ripple and a hand comes out, Juzo crawls out as if it were a swimming pool with a small bruise on his face, and stands up.
"I'm ok! I softened the ground before I hit!" he announces happily. "That's one serious Quirk!"
"I'll say," Midnight says, causing all eyes to move to her as she pushes some rubble off herself, pieces of her Hero Costume torn to show off some of the bruises that attack gave her. "Juzo is out of bounds! Tokoyami advances to the next round!"
The crowd erupts into cheers, but cutting through it all were the words of Pro Heroes considering everything they just saw.
'Those kids are amazing.'
'Did you see how strong that bird guy was, I bet he'll be a top pro once he can control his Quirk.'
'Yeah no kidding, he's already stronger than me!' 3
'That mud kid was amazing too, his instincts are insane.'
'And he reacts Quickly too, I guess both classes are good huh, not just 1A.'
'Yeah well he is a recommended student, what do you really expect?'
the chatter goes on and on and Midnight announces the short intermission for Cementoss to repair the arena…again.
'Strong in darkness and weak in light,' Horizon thinks as he considers what he just saw. 'Tokoyami said that he's here to learn to control his Quirk, but from the way he speaks it's all mental, his Quirk isn't really the type that you can train to increase the power…so he's all mastery and equipment to change the variables at play…I wonder if he sleeps with all the light on to–-' 2
"Hey Horizon," Kendo snaps him out of his thoughts by tapping his shoulder, leaning up slightly to get in his face.
"Kendo, what's up?" he asks, putting aside his anger for the moment.
"Just here to congratulate you, well more like congratulate your class. Juzo was our last chance to win a medal, but I guess it's all Class 1A from here," she shrugs.
"I guess that's one way to look at things," he says. "Our four strongest are in the semi-finals, but it looks like I'll be beating Bakugo in the finals…"
"That confident huh."
"My Quirk lets me see the future," he says casually.
"Really?!"
"No, but that's part of the benefit of my Quirk, yuou've got no idea what I can do," he shrugs. 4
Kendo blushes slightly, not from any infatuation at all, but from falling for his simple trick. "Well if you can warp, heal, make electricity, and use Telekinesis…foresight really isn't that big of a leap in logic." 4
"I suppose that's a fair conclusion with the information you have, I should get to the waiting room, time for my big debut."
"Oh, right, good luck, we're all rooting for you," she enlarges her fist to give him a thumbs up.
"If I win do I get a giant cookie?" 2
"Well, Yui thinks you're cool…I think, kinda hard to tell since she doesn't really talk, but Shiozaki says she thinks that…I'm sure she won't mind," Kendo says with a slightly nervous smile. 1
"I'll look forward to it…"
Making his way to the temporary locker room ten minutes early Horizon feels his surgery preparation complete, now freeing him up to use other techniques without resetting his progress. 3
Breathing a sigh of relief he no longer feels restricted, always hating that feeling of having limits put on him.
Eventually, he rounds the final corner sees the locker room at the end of the hallway, and sees his ideal internship choice standing right in front of it. Too bad it was also the person his parents were assumed to act like.
Endeavor turns to look directly at Horizon, seeing the boy walking toward him visor unreadable, and Endeavor's expression matching it entirely.
With flames on his shoulders, boots, arms, and face to form his mask, only leaving his red hair exposed and his body covered by a dark blue skin-tight suit.
His hulking 6ft5 -195cm-figure was actually taller than Horizon, if barely. Weighing 260lbs -118kg-of muscle, clearly defined by his body suit, truly an intimidating vision and presence.
The man with the world record for incidents resolved, far surpassing even that of All Might, someone so useful that despite his coarse manner of speaking to others he's still risen to being the number 2 hero.
With only pure effort and usefulness…Horizon's gold standard for heroes.
"Horizon," Endeavor says. "Since you're the boy's next oppone–" 2
Endeavor suddenly finds himself outside the stadium under a few trees. Warped away without him noticing any movement at all from Horizon. 4
"Tch, that truly is as annoying as I expected…" he mutters while angrily making his way back to the stadium.
'But if anyone can truly push Shoto to his limits…it's him, his greatest obstacle to be the undisputed strongest hero, Horizon…' 13
END CHAPTER–
pat.reon (5 Chapters ahead): Keanu_Eugene
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Chapter 57: CHAPTER 054(Mystery Class Monsters)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Standing in the tunnel leading to the arena Todoroki watches the crowd once again lose themselves as Midnight announces his next match.
With a sigh he raises his left hand, creating a small flickering flame in his palm. "Midoriya… you showed me what it means to be a hero, to help people," he crushes the flame in his hand, snuffing it out. "But I don't know how ready I am to start moving forward, but maybe I can help someone else…"
He sees Horizon enter the arena, hands in his pockets, not waving to the audience at all.
'Something is off,' Shoto realizes, Horizon's showmanship was suddenly taking a back seat, he was far more serious. 7
After Midnight announces his name Shoto begins slowly walking to the arena, his mind working overtime to go over his plan one last time. An exercise in futility.
'Freeze him as fast as possible, if that fails and he summons his sword I can use my heat to displace the Air Slashes…' he thinks, keeping it simple and adaptive.
"Are both of you ready?" Midnight asks, and neither boy reacts.
Horizon just looks down on Shoto, and he looks up at Horizon who was towering over him. Only ten meters between them. 1
But from this far away the presence of Horizon felt more intense, as if he went from being mildly annoyed at everyone to being outright pissed. All for a reason Shoto couldn't understand.
"Uh, ok," Midnight said awkwardly, "BEGIN!"
Todoroki immediately lowers his stance, feeling the right side of his body cool down, a thick layer of ice spreads across the arena, cracking and breaking up before reaching Horizon.
'Heaven-Piercing Ice Wall!' 8
The ice on the floor erupts into a sharp burst of ice thrusting up at Horizon, and the moment it's about to make contact.
SHAMBLES!
His vision is suddenly blocked as Horizon appears in front of him, his right hand outstretched already and touching Shoto's chest. 2
MES! 5
"Hng!" Todoroki stumbles back, vision going blurry for a moment as he drops to one knee, breathing heavily. He looks up, trying and barely forcing himself to stand, seeing Horizon looking down on him with both hands at his sides.
Stumbling back one more time Shoto raises his right arm, trying to launch more ice, only for him to feel as if he got the wind knocked out of him. Wincing in pain and nearly doubling over he sees Horizon tilt his head slightly. 2
"My Quirk!"
"You really should have kept your mouth shut," Horizon says before stepping forward, connecting a solid right cross to Shoto's face.
His vision goes black for a moment as he feels his body crumple toward the floor, only for searing pain on his head as Horizon catches him by the hair, holding him up.
"Mmm," Todoroki's words fail, seeing blood dripping from his mouth, three teeth clattered across the floor.
"So weak," Horizon says, holding Todoroki by the hair a few inches off the floor, much to the horror of everyone watching. 5
Fighting through the pain Todoroki raises his right hand to Horizon's face, intent on using his Quirk once more.
SHAMBLES!
They both appear a few meters away at the ice structure Shoto made, with Horizon slamming him into it face first.
SHAMBLES!
They appear at a different piece of the ice and Horizon smashes his face in one more time. 11
Todoroki hangs limply in his hand, easily getting tossed back to the middle of the arena, rolling a few times before crumpling to the floor, blood running down his face from his mouth and forehead as Horizon walks up to him.
Shoto fights through the pain, forcing himself to sit up, looking up at Horizon with confusion and anger, glaring as best he can with a bloody face.
Midnight raises a hand to her earpiece as Horizon casually walks over to Shoto, "Nezu, he's gonna kill him," she mutters.
"No he won't," Nezu says. "He's being a bit rougher than usual, clearly something is off, but he won't kill him. The risk isn't worth it." 3
'What the hell does that mean,' Midnight wonders, seeing Horizon standing above Shoto. 'So he won't kill him because of the risk instead of because it would be the wrong thing to do…not much of a hero.' 5
Shoto once again fruitlessly thrusts his hand forward, this time his left hand, trying desperately to make a flame so Horizon would have to back away, adrenaline and fear gripping his heart and mind as nothing happens.
And in response Horizon only tilts his head, hearing the audience murmuring, trying to figure out what happened.
"You still haven't realized? Your Quirk doesn't work anymore."
"Hngh?" Todoroki's swollen and bloody mouth can't even form words, but the audience echoes his confusion.
Horizon sighs, deciding to start his big debut scene now, he can already hear the people all around the world constantly screaming his name, and he'd get to teach Todoroki never to talk about his family again…
"Your Quirk has three simple weaknesses," Horizons says. "Overuse your right side and you get frostbite, left side leads to heat exhaustion…but even if you could perfectly control them, you still need stamina. All I did was remove the source of your stamina, and without it, your body won't allow you to activate that Quirk, no matter how badly you want it."
Todoroki looks up at him, not understanding what he meant at all, then stares down at his hands, currently kneeling before Horizon.
Trying and failing to create fire or ice.
"Here, let me show you," Horizon holds out a hand, and in it appears a beating heart, red and healthy, preserved in a jellylike clear cube. "Your stamina engine…" 12
Todoroki's heavy labored breathing suddenly becomes desperate panicked pants. Sweating profusely as he grips his chest, tearing at his shirt and undershirt. His body and mind flooded with panic and fear.
All while some of the audience reel back in horror or lose their lunch. 1
"IS THAT HIS FREAKING HEART?!" Mic screams, followed by terrified murmurs all around the stadium. 2
A moment later Shoto rips open his top, exposing his creamy skin, well-defined abs, and a square hole in the middle of his chest where his heart should be. 1
He completely freezes, looking into his own body.
Even more people lose their lunch as the cameras focus on him and the beating heart in Horizon's hand.
"Don't worry, you'll be fine unless something happens to this," Horizon gestures to the heart, then give it a light squeeze.
"Arrngh!" Shoto screams out, clutching his hollow chest and doubling over. "Oh don't be such a baby, I barely touched it," Horizon scoffs. 3
Todoroki reaches up, still in immense pain he desperately reaches for his heart, only for Horizon to take one step back taunting him.
"This should teach you never to talk about my family," Horizon says, clear for everyone to hear him.
He raises his free hand, summoning his sword to his palm, and immediately swings down.
"NO!" Midnight rips her costume, releasing a pink mist.
But he'd already slashed Shoto, slashing his head diagonally, seemingly killing him.
Everyone reels back in horror but Horizon dodges Midnight's whip before warping away, just in time to avoid Cementoss's cement attack, a wave of the substance trying to swallow him.
"HE'S NOT DEAD!" Horizon yells, causing both Pros to freeze, still glaring at him, but their eyes flicker off to the side for a moment.
They see Todoroki cut into two pieces on the floor, his arm reaching out randomly, confused and dizzy.
And Endeavor is already kneeling beside him, not sure if he should reach out and help or just wait, frozen in fear and confusion, all his flames currently shut off as his world crumbles apart. 3
Midnight is the first in the arena to snap to her senses, everyone else still staring in shock, "HORIZON! This must be one of your Quirks, start explaining or you're disqualified!" she says, ignoring whatever interests Nezu had in the boy. 5
Unable to stand by as someone possibly kills one of her students.
Horizon straightens up, still surrounded by the pink mist she was emitting, her Quirk, Somnambulist, a powerful sleeping agent that's even more potent against men.
"Quirk, singular," he says, straightening up and summoning his scabbard onto the blade, holding his sword in his left hand and Shoto's heart in his right as he makes his grand reveal."
"My Quirk gives me multiple abilities, each capable of being a powerful Quirk on their own," he looks at the surprised faces of the crowd, until now many people either didn't bother trying to solve his Quirk or assumed it was some sort of spacial control ability.
"Obviously, everyone has seen my warping," he shrugs. "And you all know about my healing, but..
AMPUTATE, those are my ranged slashes," he lifts his sword to draw their eyes to it. "A lot of range and they divide things as they are, overcoming feeble things like resistance and material composition, if it exists, I can divide it." 9
"We thought those were Air Slash," Midnight says.
"And now you know better, I simply cut reality," he says with a humourous tone, as if suppressing a giggle at all the surprised faces. "Any living thing I cut with the ranged slashes is harmlessly divided of course, "he raises the beating heart. 4
"Next I suppose is Counter-Shock, it lets me generate electricity.
Takt, again, not Telekinesis, I just order the world to move and it obeys.
Booster-Shot, temporary surge in physical strength.
Injection-Shot, invisible bullets that also ignore defenses, they only do internal damage…
And a few other things I'll keep up my sleeve, but that's all everyone has seen me use today, you'll have to keep watching for more," he says casually, enjoying all the murmuring from the crowd. 1
"What kind of Quirk is that?" Midnight asks, both intrigued and wary of him, no longer sure if he was even human.
"A virtually endless bag of tricks, the ability to manipulate the world around me in whatever way I desire, that's the power of my Quirk, HAND OF GOD!" He boldly announces. "Japan's first, and the world's second…Mystery Class Quirk!"
For a long moment, everyone is so surprised that they're silent.
Then realization hits.
They have a Mystery Class Quirk.
A superhuman prodiy at UA. 1
Training to protect them. 2
To be a hero and fight for them.
They have a new top-tier hero right in front of them. 1
And the crowd goes absolutely wild, screaming and cheering to the point that Horizon felt as if they were trying to rupture his eardrums.
"Oh, and one more thing," he makes a show of taking a deep breath, pulling in as much of Midnight's sleeping gas as possible before breathing out, and everyone gets quiet to listen in, excited to learn more about their future superhero.
"Mortal ailments and diseases don't really work on me because…well, you get it, right?" he asks jokingly, seeing Midnight just blankly staring at him as he shrugs off her Quirk. "But hey, at least you smell good." 1
She blushes slightly at that but quickly looks unamused as he walks over to Shoto and Endeavor. 3
"You can have this back," he says to them, tossing the heart down at Shoto only for Endeavor to quickly react, snapping out of his trance and gently catching it. "Next time he runs his mouth about my family I won't be putting him back together for you."
Horizon snaps his fingers, and Shoto's pieces flicker about for a moment before he appears perfectly assembled on the floor in front of his dad, completely unconscious from the shock of being divided and the heart attack.
"Todoroki is unable to battle, Horizon wins," Midnight announces in a confused and worried voice, immediately running over to Shoto and calling some medical robots to help her. 3
Endeavor barely snaps out of his stupor as the robots arrive with a stretcher, and by the time he looks across the arena, Horizon is long gone.
Another person he was destined to play second place to suddenly appeared…
Sitting in the locker room Horizon idly scrolls through his 'Yay!' page, watching his follower count climb to twenty million as his name is trending. 3
His mind no longer as angry now that's he's slapped Todoroki around a bit… 3
–Kamino Ward, Tokyo, Japan…
Sitting in his large chair All For One mutes Shigaraki's video call and turns to doctor Garaki who sat beside him, narrating the action of what happens on screen since All For One had no eyes, only 'seeing' with infrared. 1
While Shigaraki was ranting about how unfair it is for the heroes to have that cheat code called Horizon, the adults decided to have a constructive conversation.
"A Mystery Class Quirk," Garaki says. "To think a third would appear so early, and within our very own borders…" 12
"Hmm, but this is also problematic, Nezu has him in that fortress six days a week," All For One says. "We can't get to him in there unless I go in person, even if we send Gigantomachi he can't capture someone who will warp away." 2
"Neither can you, at least not yet," Garaki says.
"Mmm, my sources within the Hero Commission are slow but useful, apparently Nezu kept his information from them as well."
"But even if that plan works, is engaging him truly wise?" Garaki asks. "Mystery Class Quirks are head and shoulders above all others, that was the reason we sent Arsenal to kill that girl all those years ago in America…too bad her sister also had the same Quirk,that damn Star and Stripe…" 11
"Yes but this time I'm sure we can have some leverage to bring him to us, and I'll be using Shake Down." 4
"That will kill you!" Garaki yells.
"Relax doctor," All For One chuckles at his friend's worry. "I won't be using it directly, we'll place it in a Nomu."
"Hmm, I won't have enough time to clone it in that case with the amount of Nomus we're currently making, but I suppose with a Quirk like that you only need one use."
"Precisely, we simply need to wait for our spies to do their job…"
All For One then unmutes Shigaraki's screen and the incessant rambling about the unfairness of this whole situation continues, causing both men to groan in annoyance. 1
Since the appearance of this new walking miracle, All For One couldn't care any less for his apprentice, now only keeping him around to hurt All Might.
Both he and doctor Garaki were counting down the days until they could dispose of him… 3
–Off The Coast Of New York…
Standing atop a next-gen X Class fighter jet America's number 1 hero stands tall, moving 3000 kilometers per hour, the wind blowing her long blonde hair.
Standing at 6ft4 -193cm-, the same height as Law, but slightly more muscular. Her entire costume is styled like an American flag, her cape made of red and white stripes, long and flowing. Blonde hair modeled after All Might's. And the entire skin-tight suit is red and blue with the same stripes as her cape mixed in. Metal bracing around her midsection and shoulders purely for aesthetics. 1
Smiling proudly, Star and Stripe, America's number 1 hero, and currently the single most powerful person in the world. 2
Casually walking across the hull of the black jet under her feet, as if it weren't even moving, Star makes her way to the front and leans forward, looking through the glass to wave at the pilot.
Inside she sees a brown-skinned man seemingly made of rock, average height and build but shaped strangely, with a bushy white mustache, hand on the flight juke controlling the aircraft.
"How is the sports festival going?" Star asks commander Agpar.
"The first semi-final match is starting," he says. "It's Endeavors son against that Horizon kid."
"Did All Might make an appearance yet?" Star asks, her inner fanboy coming out. 2
"How about we deal with this nuke then you can watch it yourself, he'll probably only show up for the medal ceremo–" they're both cut off by a beeping in their ears.
Star immediately stands upright atop the plane and folds her arms across her chest, focusing her eyes to see kilometers away.
"It's on the radar now, get ready," Agpar says.
"Yeah, I can see it," she says. "Fly directly into the nuke, let's make this quick so I don't miss All Might's appearance, you keep an eye on the tournament for me…"
"Damn Evolutionists," Agpar grumbles. "If we could just bait out their leaders we'd be able to lock them all up, bunch of cowards won't show up as long as you're in America…"
"Can't blame them," Star chuckles, "I'm the strongest woman in the world…"
They both immediately notice the dot on the horizon, the nuclear missile heading directly for Manhattan, powerful enough to crater the entire island. 1
After Agpar sets them on a collision course he turns back to his phone, watching the sports festival live as Star deals with the nuke, there couldn't a more relaxed duo in the face of a superweapon.
As the missile gets close enough Star activates her own Myster Class Quirk.
"NEW ORDER: The Atmosphere around me will gather and materialize into an avatar of me, one thousand times my size!" Star decrees, and her Quirk makes it so. 6
Around and behind her the air gets heavy, invisible to the naked eye but to her, she saw a naked version of herself, a colossus of solid air with the jet at the waist. Smiling fearlessly as the missile gets closer. 3
She throws a quick jab, and the avatar does the same, making contact head-on with the missile and detonating it a kilometer away.
Star and Agpar fly directly toward it, not that they had a choice with the jet already being inside the 10km blast radius, 2310 technology truly is no laughing matter after all. 1
With a thought she deactivates her order, and the avatar immediately disappears. She extends her right arm forward after quickly moving to stand at the very nose of the plane, making sure the blast wave would hit her before the plane.
"NEW ORDER: The nuclear explosion and connected shockwave will compress into a spear for me to throw!"
The moment the shockwave touches her hand, exactly what she said occurs.
New Order, the Mystery Class Quirk, bestowing the wielder with the voice of god. Allowing her to speak and bend reality, with limitations of course. 10
A common trend between the two Quirks of this class to exist.
While Hand Of God makes the user act as god, imposing their will on the world with them standing at the center of their universe, this simply allows the user to become the voice of god, imposing their will on reality through words. 5
While Hand Of God has much less limits after an ability is created, New Order allows its user to effectively change the world at will, but the trade is that New Order has many more requirements for activation.
But Hand Of God has clear limits in itself. Such as the way it can only exert that much will onto other living beings. Making Law unable to simply grab people and toss them around while alive. Or the fact that every time Law uses Shambles he first locates the object or person within his room, the more focus and energy he takes to perform an in-depth SCAN of the area the faster he will run out of stamina. 6
It is for this reason he doesn't simply use dust particles to warp about, as focusing on them would completely drain him after two or three warps at best. Anything an average human would be able to see and hold is many orders of magnitude easier and more energy efficient. 2
But neither Hand of God nor New Order can do truly anything, simply because God cannot tamper with free will.
If these truths were made public, the classification would almost unanimously change from Mystery Class to Divine Class.
So it's to the surprise of no one when the nuclear explosion compresses into a spear shorter than Star herself.
Holding the red spear of energy and force in her grasp, Star rears back her arm and puts her back into a throw. With her immense physical power, currently, the strongest on the planet. Combined with the weightless nature of the spear itself, the clouds above them shatter as a red trailing beam is left in the wake of her throw.
Saving millions of lives and doing more than most of the world's heroes can, with two simple commands…the strength of Mastery Level 80, Mystery Class Quirk. 4
One-VS-One, compared to every other combatant on the planet, at least in their current state, Star and Stripe is entirely invincible, she simply will not lose. 5
Agpar simply sits back and continues watching the sports festival, even as a beam of red energy rockets toward the sky and pierces the outer atmosphere.
Sending the nuclear blast safely into space.
"Uh…Star," Agpar says, a hint of concern in his voice. "I'm changing our route to Washington DC."
"Huh, what's going on, did President Harrison call?"
"No, but he will…apparently his doctor is Japan's new rising star."
Star chuckles at that, "that Horizon kid, not surprising since he can warp."
"Yeah, not just warp…looks like you aren't the only Mystery Class anymore…"
Star's smile falters as she stands with her arms folded, raising a finger to tap her chin as she considers what this may mean for them and the world.
Then her smile returns.
"Well then, I can't wait to meet him…" 3
END CHAPTER–
For anyone wondering, if Star fought Horizon to the death as they are currently…he has almost no chance of surviving. Been waiting for weeks for ya'll to get to this chapter :) 25
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Chapter 58: A/N
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
Wow, that last chapter was definitely my favorite at the time of writing it. 2
This author's note is just a small update. Previously chapters would state that you could get up to 5 chapters ahead on my pa.treon.
This is no longer the case and therefore that will be changed moving forward.
The tiers have been adjusted and the highest tier will give unlimited access to my edited stockpile of chapters. Currently, that means access all the way up to chapter 80, that's 1.5 months ahead. 4
Anyway, that's all for this announcement, feel free to comment anything you want to tell me here or join the discord so we can chat.
And I hope you're enjoying the story :)
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Chapter 59: CHAPTER 055(Invaluable Resource)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the waiting room Horzion is leaning back in a metal chair by the wooden table, lockers and benches on either side of him as he taps his fingers on the surface.
In front of him was his phone, face up showing his profile, the follower count now breaking past 50 million. 7
He didn't bother returning to the stands after his match, Tokoyami was already in the tunnel by the time he defeated Todoroki, so he simply warped back into the waiting room.
Currently, Cementoss was still fixing the arena, but the world was already reacting.
"900 Million, that's the goal," he mutters to himself, seeing the follower count begin to plateau. "If I can get to All Might's follower count then I know I'm in a spot comparable to the best hero in history…that'll give me all the leverage I need…"
His plan was simple, for most it would be impossible, but for him, it was a set of basic steps that pose barely any challenge.
First, he would need to make his grand debut, which he did against Todoroki. Albeit a bit angrier than he intended.
Now the entire world knows he's a Mystery Class, everyone will want to have him on their side, assuming they didn't already want him as a miracle doctor.
His following and influence would immediately balloon, which he can easily track as online followers for a simple metric, keeping the goal to surpass All Might in influence and reach simple.
Next, he simply has to finish up his match against Bakugo and win this tournament, proving he's a truly peerless student with unfathomable potential. 1
After a few simple months, he'd get his provisional license and start doing actual hero work to continue growing, and if things go as planned he'll enter the top 10 Pro Hero Ranking the minute he graduates.
"Then a few more years of this hero crap…and by that time All Might will be retired or dead, so naturally people will look to me as his next replacement, and I'll be their perfect Symbol of Peace until I get what I want…" 4
He smiles at the thought of that, having the entire country, maybe the entire world groveling at his feet. He'd finally be able to fix his mistake and bring his family back together.
Then they'd never have to set foot in Japan again. 5
CLICK!
Horizon looks up to see Nezu entering the room, his tablet held under his arm as he reaches up to lock the door behind himself.
"Here to congratulate me?" he asks jokingly.
"I never doubted you, but you were a bit rougher than expected," Nezu says while taking a seat beside Horizon, placing his tablet on the table and taking out his phone as well. "You knocked out some of his teeth, not to mention the things you did with your Quirk."
"I barely touched him, he'll get over it," Horizon scoffs. 1
Nezu just sighs and shakes his head, not at all surprised by this response. "And yet he's still in shock laying in the infirmary," Nezu shakes his head. "Anyway, you said that he mentioned your parents, I assume what he said couldn't have been good. But I never expected behavior like that from Todoroki." 1
"He made assumptions and tried meddling where he shouldn't, he won't make that mistake again, and now everyone else knows not to do the same," Horizon growls out. 4
"And what did he–"
"I'm done talking about this."
Nezu bites his tongue and just nods, "understood." After a long pause, he realizes Horizon was in a bad mood from simply recalling whatever Todoroki said and decides to change the subject. "Aren't you going to ask why I'm here?"
"No, but you'll tell me anyway."
"Fair enough, so, you slash…reality?"
"That's one way to put it yes, it ignores all defense and material composition, can even slash Warp Gate to make them collapse."
"But you couldn't just dice up the USJ Nomu because?" 2
"Super-Regeneration, it acts like stitches pulling the parts back together, I don't think all will be that fast, but for that one it was. It's like since the Nomu is so full of energy and reactive stem cells they start growing to reach out and reconnect, even if I don't technically hurt them…" 49
"I see, and I assume the Injection-Shot bullets operate the same, but they somehow do real internal damage."
"Pretty much."
Nezu sits back in his chair just taking in the power of his Quirk, understanding that there was still so much he didn't know, and would certainly never be allowed to know. By definition Mystery Class Quirks are beyond human and scientific comprehension, he knew no matter how hard he tries, and how much time he has, without Law explaining it he'd never get any closer to figuring it out.
"I assume you're banning my sword," Horizon says.
"Oh most definitely, many people were concerned seeing a student cut into pieces, and the morality of removing a person's heart is still being questioned."
"It's not like it killed him," Horizon shrugs.
"Well Pantu already called me the moment you made the reveal, she'll be calling back any minute now to discuss the contract we all agreed to."
Hearing that Horizon sits up, "is she trying to change it?"
"She didn't say, but I decided no matter what she wants everyone who signed it should be in agreement…seeing as we all have much to lose and gain from it."
"Mhm," Horizon just nods and leans back, trying to clear his mind.
Not even a minute later Nezu's phone rings, he immediately answers and puts it on speaker, resting it on the table between them.
"You're on speaker," Nezu says. "Only Horizon and I are here…"
'President Pantu' was the name on the screen, the head of Japan's Hero Public Safety Commission.
"Good," her calm and feminine voice flows through the phone. "Let's skip the pleasantries, I just got off the phone with a lot of very powerful people, they don't want Horizon taking the hero route." 3
Nezu doesn't react, expecting this outcome, simply nodding along. "Because they want to keep their potential miracle elixir safe?"
"Essentially yes, people aren't comfortable with the man that can cure and heal any non-genetic disorder putting himself in danger like a common hero, he's been deemed an Invaluable Resource, a class zero security case."
"What?" Horizon asks, not understanding what that means.
"That classification list was created by the United Nations," Nezu says. "Until now the only class zero was me, people deemed too valuable to mankind to allow any risk in insuring their safety, that's why UA is able to become an armed fortress in such a restrictive nation like Japan."
"That's putting it lightly," Pantu says. "UA is all but its own sovereign nation, I can't even send officials on campus without presidential approval. Not to mention any action Japan takes against UA needs United Nations approval, plus every other country wants Nezu to live in their borders…"
"Ok, so what does this mean for me?" Horizon asks.
"Whatever you want," Pantu says. "Money, influence, land, we'll get you whatever you want, and provide full-time 24-hour security, not that you need it. But we can't take the risk of losing you." 5
"What about my parents? I don't alter or renegotiate contracts, and I definitely never ever break them, if I change anything then I want them out," Horizon was a hair away from angrily growling out those words. Even now the idea of not completing a contract as he agreed to made him sick.
"They can't just be let out that easily," Pantu says. "Look, you're mom killed a lot of powerful people, and a lot of people between her and her targets got killed too. She was the most effective killer in the world and everyone knows that, which means all the powerful people in every country in the world want her locked up, forever, because she is one of the few people who could kill most of them. If we let someone like that out with any kind of deal suddenly big countries and companies stop trading with Japan, or start pressuring us in other ways." 5
"How bad is it? And how soon can they get out?" Horizon asks.
"It'll be at least a few more years," Pantu says. "And as for how badly…well the last time you spoke to them I had them moved into solitary and they'll be there until release. A lot of powerful people were lobbying for immediate execution but I sold them a story about getting intel from them to buy time. They've been in solitary since Christmas." 2
Horizon sits back for a moment and considers his options, then decides to just test the waters a bit. "OK, and if I drop out of UA and take the safe life, what's the deal to get them out?"
"Uncertain, I'd have to move some things around."
"Mmmm, don't like that," Horizon says, tapping the table a few times. "Guess I'm staying in the Hero Course."
"But the risk–"
"Is fine," he cuts her off. "See I'm gonna be Japan's greatest SUPERHero, unrivaled. I'll fulfill the contract the three of us agreed to in a few years, then you do your part and get them out of Tartarus, because otherwise, things get messy."
"Are you threatening a government official?" Pantu could hardly believe what she was hearing.
"No no no, that's not very heroic at all…but. If say, you break the contract, or try some underhanded government bullshit to stop me from being a hero, or I so much as sense any foul play, this story goes from me being a hero to protect all the idiots that can't defend themselves…to everyone counting how many people…and heroes…and cities…get between me, and you, and I just don't think you have enough." 19
A pregnable silence fills to room, the air tense in anticipation of Pantu's response, until a soft and defeated sigh sounds through the phone, "alright," she says. "I'll try to get them out before approaching you again with this offer. I technically don't have any legal grounds to stop you from being a hero so this was all a matter of your choice anyway, not that any legal red tape would work with Nezu in your corner."
"Very true," Nezu says.
"Look on the bright side of things," Horizon says to her. "You'll get an unbeatable superhero, Nezu gets his new Symbol of Peace, and I get my parents back, you keep your end of the deal and everyone wins, simple." 3
"I'll take care of it," Pantu says. "I suppose the only thing left is to congratulate you on winning the sports festival."
"The first step to being your next Symbol of Peace," Horizon says jokingly.
"Right…" she abruptly hangs up.
"So did that go how you expected?" Horizon asks Nezu.
"Entirely." 1
He looks at Nezu skeptically, "you really predicted that even being a miracle elixir isn't enough to get my parents out? Really?"
"Of course," Nezu says. "Humans at their core are fragile and scared creatures, for most of the powerful people that could sway such a decision releasing the best contract killer in history, the person most likely to eliminate them or their families…simply isn't worth protecting a miracle elixir that they'd likely never need or use for themselves or their loved ones." 8
"I see, because people never think bad things will happen to them. They never think they'll be the one to get sick…just like those idiots who run around playing hero never think they'll be the one to have a villain track them back to their family…" 3
"Sadly that is the nature of being human, you all think you're so special and unique, and that very fact makes you all the same." 8
"Is that how you think I view things?" Horizon asks, a soft curiosity in his voice.
Nezu looks at him a bit surprised, "is that not how you see yourself? Special and unique, unlike anyone else, I figured that's why you're so harsh on others."
"It's…it's not that simple." 2
"We've got some time," Nezu says, gesturing to the screen in the corner showing the stage now about to be completely repaired. 1
Horizon thinks about his words for a moment then speaks, his voice taking a softer and kinder tone, an almost startling change from his blunt and abrasive way of speaking.
"When I was a kid," he says. "When I first asked my parents to teach me, medicine, fighting, this was even before I knew how to use my Quirk, they never held back. It was tough, but I did it, because it's what's expected of me. Push me, break me, watch me fall, and just wait as I pick myself back up, over and over and over. 1
It taught me a lot, and they taught me a lot. I knew I was different, smarter, stronger Quirk, just better than anyone else. But it wasn't enough, I had to train and study every day for years, until I figured out what it means to be truly perfect. 11
The world doesn't slow down for you to learn, so I had to learn fast or deal with the pain of failure, and there was a lot of pain…but it made me stronger. It made me the culmination of everything they are in my own ways, and I couldn't be happier to be who I am now, I just wish they were here with me to see it. But coming to this place, honestly.
I don't expect anyone to ever match me, no Pro, no classmate. But I despise people who clearly aren't trying hard enough to live up to their full potential. I don't care if they want to live a life of mediocrity, but I've worked too hard and sacrificed too much for them to think they're my equal or even comparable just because they're a Pro or in my class.
And I especially don't like when they think we're the same. 3
We just aren't the same. People who never try to be more than they currently are, than the world tells them they are… those people don't deserve to ever stand beside me, and sadly almost everyone I've met here is doing exactly that. But at least most of them know their place by now. 1
As for things like Quirks, since we're training to be heroes it matters a lot, some are just so obsolete that they should never have gotten this far. But once a Quirk can be truly useful I don't really care so long as the user has decent Mastery of it.
But some people are just so pathetic…ten years with a Quirk yet you still break your arm to throw a punch, or can only control half the Quirk, or don't even know what your Quirk actually does. 6
I'm stuck in a classroom with that after all I've done…and you expect me to just play nice, really?"
"I see," Nezu nods solemnly, taking a moment to consider everything he just heard. Now gaining a deeper understanding of how Horizon thinks. "So you don't like when people think they are your equal, without living their life always giving their all, constantly going Plus Ultra…"
"Not Plus Ultra," Horizon says. "That means to go beyond your limits, I have no limits, I just am. But the point is they just don't try hard enough…" 6
'A massive ego,' Nezu thinks. 'Powered by years of hard work, boosted to absurd levels by his superhuman talent, and all balanced by apathy toward anyone or thing not relevant to him…a dangerous sociopathic combination, especially with such a powerful Quirk…' 4
"Well this certainly taught me a lot," Nezu says happily, hopping down from his chair.
"Like what?" Horizon asks.
"Well…the only time you ever speak with such care and love in your voice, is when you speak about your parents. I think that's the most important thing to take away from this, now I'll let you get ready for your next match," he gestures to the screen in the corner.
Turning to it Horizon sees Tokoyami pinned down by Bakugo, a constantly exploding palm held close to Dark Shadow like a flashlight. 1
"Guess its time to wrap this up…" 2
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 60: CHAPTER 056(Foundational Difference)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Watching Horizon walk onto the stage, back to his showmanship, waving at the adoring crowd, Bakugo can't help but feel his adrenaline start pumping.
His breath became hitched, standing in the entrance tunnel hidden away for a few seconds longer he walks over to the wall and places his forehead against the cool concrete wall.
Feeling his palms already sweating he squeezes his eyes shut, pushing the doubt and anxiety down, like he'd done so many times when thinking about Horizon. 9
The seemingly invincible wall standing between him, and the person he always thought he was.
"Katsuki Bakugo!" Midnight announces, and he immediately scowls and begins walking out.
The entire world watching him, everyone expecting him to lose, already counting him out.
The doubts from the crowd reaches his ears, breaking his heart but making his blood boil.
'Why are they even having another fight?'
'He's Mystery Class, that's unfair.'
'If Endeavor's son lost this isn't fair.'
'Won't he just cut this kid in half?'
His rage just kept building and building, but in the back of his mind, a small voice couldn't help but agree with everything they said.
Before he knew it Horizon was standing in front of him, towering over him as always.
To his eyes it was as if Horizon blocked out the sun, the same feeling he got when standing in front of All Might. 6
But this was different, this time the monster wasn't trying to protect him, it was staring down at him. Ready and willing to crush him.
Burying those feeling Bakguo glares at Horizon's visor, ignoring Midnight's hype-building speech for the finals.
"Bring out the sword," he demands, earning a confused head tilt from Horizon.
"It got banned," Horizon shrugs. "Some crap about cutting people up isn't a good look." 5
"If you don't have it, then how am I supposed to count this as a real victory?!" Bakugo screams. "You need to be at your best!" 1
"I've still got more than enough to deal with someone at your level," Horizon says calmly, taking his hands out of his pockets and letting electricity crackle, jumping between his palms. "Just takes one touch and you're done."
"Counter Shock," Bakguo growls out, now even warier of Horizon's touch, but his plan doesn't change. Blast Horizon to hell and don't let him touch you.
"BEGIN!"
Bakguo immediately rockets forward, clearing the ten meters between them and placing his palm in front of Horizon's chest, a meter of space between them.
In the same instant Horizon had warped one of his cards to him and threw it past Bakugo.
'He's gonna swap and appear behind me!'
Bakugo plants both his feet on the floor, one hand out in each direction. Blasting both his sides at once.
BOOM!
Light and smoke block his vision as both angles are blasted.
"You know I have more cards right?" Horizon's amused voice asks from behind him. 1
Bakugo immediately spins around and launches into another attack.
BOOM!
This time his eyes open in horror. Dreams and ego are completely crushed in one instant as Horizon's massive hand palms the back of his skull. 5
Reacting quickly he uses an explosion to spin himself, jumping up and launching a roundhouse kick to the side of Horizon's head.
He can't even feel the material of Horizon's visor before the man is swapped out with a metal calling card.
This pattern goes on for a dozen explosions, Horizon always warping away at the very last moment.
Until seemingly Bakguo gets lucky.
His bare explosive palm makes contact directly with Horizon's visor. Palming his entire face.
The entire audience is shocked, surprised this would even happen, and Bakguo's smile nearly rips his face open as he finally sees victory.
'I'll blow that damn fish bowl to hell!'
BOOM!
Bakguo's suddenly looking at the arena, seeing all the cracks and pebbles caused by his own explosions.
Nothing and nobody in his way as searing pain burns through his clothes and scorches his back.
His own explosion ragdolling him across the concrete and leaving him crumpled in a heap.
"Damn it!" Bakugo punches the concrete and forces himself to stand, bloody knuckles dripping on the arena as he glares at Horizon.
And still, Horizon was completely untouched. 'I was touching him and he still dodged it…that shouldn't be possible!' 7
Not even the visor was slightly singed.
"He baited me into hurting myself," Bakugo mutters, feeling his arms nearly numb from the constant fighting.
"You know I really wasn't kidding when I said none of you can even lay a scratch on me," Horizon says jokingly. "You just aren't enough."
Bakugo growls loudly, rushing Horizon like a desperate animal.
'I just need time, keep him cocky so he doesn't get bored and end the fight, keep him talking so my arms can rest, then I'll blast this whole damn stage away!' 1
Surprising everyone Horizon takes a casual fighting stance, keeping one hand in front of him and the other hanging at his side, an open palm taunting Bakugo. 5
Bakugo's strikes were fast.
Heavy hits.
Each kick was parried by the most casual of motions.
Each punch was easily blocked by Horizon's larger and faster physicality.
For an entire minute, this cycle continues. No matter how hard Bakguo fought he couldn't land a single hit.
'So he's even a monster without his Quirk!' everyone quickly realized. Not knowing he was trained by one of the best technical fighters in the world. 6
But improvement is the standard at UA, and heated battles bring up a swell of desire that forces improvement.
Bakugo's mind seemed to settle, his movements less primal and more fluid. His attacks harder, his strikes faster. His eyes could suddenly better interpret what he was seeing.
With one of the most intuitive combat minds in the world, he began putting the pieces together.
It didn't make sense at first, not until he punched up at Horizon's visor, causing the man to swat it away and just touch Bakguo's face before retracting his hand. Proving for what must have been the 20th time in this fight that he can win whenever he wants, pissing Bakugo off even more.
But that punch was just a distraction. A showy strike sure to fail against someone of this level.
All for Bakguo to test his theory and kick with as little motion as possibly toward Horizon's shin.
But Horizon dodges it, casually moving his foot out of the way…before Bakguo made any real noticeable motion forward.
Bakugo immediately leaps backward, heels knocking away the pebbles on the stage, each one a win condition if Horizon decided to put an end to this match, a reminder that he was just playing with Bakguo…all while Bakguo was giving more than he had ever before. 1
"What's wrong?" Horizon asks, his tone casual even as Bakugo was panting heavily and covered in sweat, still feeling the searing pain on his back. 1
Bakugo smiles victoriously, "I figured it out!" His words confuse everyone watching, the entire world excited to hear whatever grand reveal he had. 1
"Figured what out?"
"How you do it, how you always warp to the perfect place, how you always know what to do, how you dodge every hit no matter how sneaky it is! All of it!"
Horizon raises a brow beneath his visor, curious and amused, knowing Bakguo can never have figured out his ROOM.
"Alright, enlighten me," he says jokingly, placing both hands in his pocket as Bakugo takes a few deep breaths.
"Foresight!" Bakugo decrees. 7
"Foresight?"
"It's how you do it," Bakguo says. "You couldn't have dodged everything naturally, and my last attack was a feint to set up a kick…a kick I didn't even get to throw because you dodged before my leg really got moving…that's only possible if you can see the future."
The entire stadium is silent, staring at Horizon. Minor time manipulation Quirks aren't as rare as warping or healing, but they are usually useless. Gathering and controlling Cronons -the identified time particles, discovered two centuries ago-, most Quirks just used it to slow the time of small objects, Foresight is an anomaly in itself. 1
"I see," Horizon says, looking around at all the amazed and excited faces. "Well seeing the future is the best way to justify what I did… but that's not one of my abilities." 2
"What?" Bakugo looked dumbstruck.
Horizon taps the side of his visor, drawing all eyes to his head, "it's my brain…genius. In this world my brain is second only to Nezu himself, but while all his processing power is good for science and management…I've got a lot less than him, in exchange for having a really good brain for battle. 1
In combat like this where it's just me and you, I can monitor every move your body makes, even the smallest millimeter of movement is noticeable to me. And since I process info faster…I effectively transfer all that intake into my head, and use my perfect reaction time to move. 1
Get it? I can't see the future, I just start moving after you, and your brain is so slow it looks like I moved first," he shrugs. "A decade of training with mom made me really damn good at close combat like this." 3
Bakguo's veins bulge, "so you're such a damn nerd that you fight better than us too!" 1
"Uh…sure?"
"This…this isn't right," Bakugo mutters. "This isn't how heroes fight!" 3
"Oh god, it's gonna cry," Horizon mutters out in disgust, shaking his head in disappointment. "Are your arms rested enough yet? Just do your final attack and let's wrap this up," he says in a bored tone. 3
"You…you knew, and you still let my arms recover? Why?"
"Because it doesn't really matter in the end. How hard you, or any hero or villain fights, it's all futile in the end," Horizon spreads his arms, riling up the audience. "Because I am here…" 28
"RAARRRGGHHH!!!" Bakugo rockets into the air, carried by explosions. Instantly enraged like never before, hearing Horizon of all people use All Might's line, and the entire crowd cheering for him. 5
Cheering for the next Symbol of Peace.
Bakugo puts everything into his next attack, soaring thirty meters above the arena before rocketing down.
Using his explosions to spin himself like a top, forming a twister of smoke around him as he gathers as much air as possible to make the explosion hit that much harder, all while keeping his eyes on Horizon, standing casually in the middle of the arena.
As he's only five meters away he flips in the air, risking everything and slamming both his palms down at Horizon.
"HOWITZER GRAND IMPACT!" 8
BOOM!
The entire stadium and the surrounding land are rocked as if an earthquake hit. Midnight and Cementoss are blown away as the deafening explosion rings out, slamming them against the far wall of the arena. Cementoss barely softens the wall in time to catch them and prevent any damage.
And as the dust clears, everyone sees the absolute carnage caused by the attack.
Bakugo was kneeling in the middle of the crater, the entire stage completely dug out, rubble and dirt scattered against the far walls. A hole two meters deep at its lowers point.
He's on his knees, sitting up, hands hanging limply at his side. Bloody and broken, all purple-black and swollen, His entire shirt and much of his pants destroyed, leaving scorch marks across his body, and his head swaying left and right, barely staying conscious as the adrenaline starts to fade. 1
"Wow, that's a lot better than I expected," Horizon's voice is the only sound in the arena, the dust, and smoke blowing away to reveal him standing behind a blue energy shield in the shape of a dome nearly at the edge of the crater, just barely within bounds.
"You…how?" Bakugo mutters weakly.
"Antibacterial Curtain," Horizon raises his right hand to tap the blue shield. His left hand was still outstretched, releasing the shield from the palm. 3
His new ability, Antibacterial Curtain, named after the curtains in hospital operating rooms. A modified version of his healing energy, instead of dispersing away from itself to permeate others, it is attracted to itself, hardening to form a shield. 1
His inexperience with this ability leaves much to be desired, not that he can let that be noticed.
He immediately drops the barrier and begins walking over to Bakugo, putting his left hand back in his pocket.
"You…had that… the whole time?"
"Only since after USJ," Horizon admits. "After meeting Nomu I realized there was a lot of merit in defense, so I decided if I'm going to be a hero, eventually I'll have a moment where I need to stand my ground and protect the people behind me, so I made a shield ability," he shrugs, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. 10
"You just made an ability," Bakugo mutters in disbelief. "You can just make new Quirks?" 1
"That's one way to look at it," Horizon was now standing directly in front of Bakugo, forcing him to look up at him. "Still working on something to deal with Super-Regeneration, but I'll get there eventually…" 12
Looking up at Horizon, Bakugo couldn't hold back his emotions anymore, tears freely streaming down his face. 12
In all his years watching All Might he's seen the hero gets hurt, get cut, take hits…bleed. But here stands Horizon, completely untouched by anything they threw at him. By anything Bakugo threw at him, in this moment the shadow he casts dwarfed even All Might, and Bakugo hated it more than anything.
"This isn't supposed to happen," Bakugo doubles over, his forehead nearly touching the ground, arms hanging at his side. "This isn't how heroes win!" 6
Nobody understands what he means, only Deku could find the meaning in his words, and it hurt him to see Bakugo brought so low. 4
"What the hell does that mean?"
"You can't be a hero! Heroes put their heart and soul into everything they do! But you…you refused to take us seriously! You just came out here and mocked us! You're not a real hero, you refused to give us your all!" Bakugo screams, his voice cracking and straining with each word. 2
"Is that what you really think this is?" Horizon asks in a serious voice. "Bakugo, it's not that I refused to fight seriously, I'll never make that mistake again…but you just aren't enough to make me fight seriously, none of you are, and even if you were, I'd still win, because unlike you, I have a reason to fight."
"Reason to fight?!"
Horizon raises a foot and steps on the back of Bakugo's head, the blonde immediately forces his broken arms to move and press against the ground to support the new weight, and Horizon just begins talking to the world, with both hands in his pockets, and the second best student under his boot. 2
"Most of you don't have any real reason to fight. You're a bunch of pathetic childish fanboys that only want to be heroes because you think it's cool. You put your life and the life of everyone you love at risk every time you suit up, but you're too selfish to think about that, right? 5
You never think about anyone past yourself, past what you want, just a bunch of pathic wannabes that don't understand the true cost of being a hero. 8
You have everything, but you're here risking it all for people you don't even know, for strangers that you'd never even talk to…you put your own home in danger to save them…HA! As if anyone with that reason can ever beat me. 1
Everything you are, just like most of the people in our class, is fanboy nonsense. 'Inspired' by heroes to throw your life away and let your family suffer for strangers…see even if we were equals, I'd win.
Because you fight for strangers, and I fight for my family…for my parents." 20
Everyone stares in surprise, not expecting such an intense rant from him, all while Bakugo struggles to keep his body off the ground.
Horizon's voice becomes slightly sad, "my parents taught me everything they knew, I am everything they are taken to heights unimagined. I love them more than anything in this world…but now I'm all alone in this world…but one day I won't be.
I'll take everything my dad taught me about medicine, and everything my mom taught me about fighting and being an adventurer…and I'll use it to fight for my future, for the family I'll have one day. For them, for my kids, for the people who matter the most to me. 12
That's what my foundation is built of, and every improvement I make gets stacked atop it, and gets supported by that.
And what's yours again? Fanboy trash about wanting to be like All Might and throw your life away for strangers? Right?" Horizon laughs at that.
"And yet you act surprised when everything you did, all the blood and sweat and work, everything you are, crumbles against me…built on a pathetic foundation like that. You don't even have a reason to fight, and you'll never be enough, so get off my stage." 15
CRACK!
He presses down, smashing Bakguo's head against the floor with his foot, instantly knocking him out. 1
"HORIZON WINS!" Midnight announces, to the surprise of absolutely no one.
His rant reached the ears and hearts of hundreds of millions of people, including the man who would be his Hero mentor, and a major catalyst for his rapid rise to the top of this world… 41
END CHAPTER
Chapter 61: CHAPTER 057(Most Valuable Person)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"Need more practice," Law mutters.
Sitting in his building a few kilometers away from UA he's currently on the couch. Looking through the one-way glass wall at UA atop the massive hill at the edge of the city, the gargantuan stadium he was in moments ago dwarfing all the nearby buildings.
Currently, he was on the couch, the same place he last spoke to his parents. His visor was on the coffee table in front of him, accompanied by his second meal shake of the day. And his upper body was completely exposed. 8
Looking down at his left arm he could see reddish-purple bruises littering his hand and arm. The entire limb and connected shoulder were sore.
And both his legs were in the exact same state.
"Energy efficiency of Curtain is still trash," he says aloud. Then takes his shake and downs a mouthful of the vanilla-flavored drink.
He turns on the tv, muted, to track the progress of Cementoss making an entirely new stage and repairing the arena after the finals.
"Blocking one of those attacks from Bakugo nearly took everything I had," Law says, now delving into his full assessment. "Curtain is new but that's still unacceptable, not to mention I need to get my physical power up so if I'm unable to handle the constant shockwaves my body doesn't get messed up."
He takes a look at his arm and shoulder before the bruises begin to heal, and two seconds later they're completely gone. In truth, he could have healed them whenever he wanted, but confirming the visual state of his body is always good to be absolutely certain. At atleast in situations where the enemy can't punish him for such cocky actions.
"I'll also need to get Curtain down to being second nature, it still takes almost a second for me to go from thought to action with it…way too damn slow for me. I guess I could drop rubble on myself to train it, but I need to make it at least six times more efficient. I would have passed out if I had to make another Curtain for even one second after blocking Bakugo's attack." 2
He takes another mouthful of his drink, forcing it down.
"God I hate this weight gain diet…there has got to be a better way to get the amount of calories I need…whatever, problems for tomorrow." 31
He notices the rubble almost cleaned up for Cementoss to begin repairs.
"At this point if I fought the USJ Nomu again it would go the exact same way. I don't have a way past super-regeneration yet, and my Curtain can maybe take two punches at best before I black out from fatigue… I'd have to pull another one of those omni-slash moves out of my ass to kill it…fucking pathetic," he mutters before getting dressed. 20
Leaning back in his seat and forcing himself to drink the 1800 Calorie shake, his second of three daily shakes. 7
At this point eating is a genuine chore for Law, at first he tried preparing meals beforehand. But now he's so sick of seeing food that he just blends everything into a shake and has it that way, and it's only been two weeks. 6
The thought of doing this for years to bulk up and maintain his new muscles is excruciating to him. 1
"There has got to be a better way to–" his words are cut off by his phone ringing on the table. 1
Someone he hasn't seen in months, but he certainly expected this call the moment he went public as a Mystery Class. In fact, the main reason they kept his Quirk classification a secret for this long is to prevent Japan from being flooded with calls exactly like this.
The caller ID only had three words, 'President John Harrison', with a small American flag picture behind it.
Law puts back on his visor as he answers, wanting to maintain the slightly robotic tinge to his voice that the visor gives.
"Horizon?" A cool and collected voice asks, clearly an older gentleman, seemingly amused by this whole situation.
"John, it's been a while," Horizon says, speaking perfect english. "Don't suppose you're calling because you need another checkup?"
A soft chuckle flows through the phone, "no no, the whole family is fine. Honestly, we've never been better than these past few months after you came to clean us up."
"And you've been sticking to the diet?"
"Religiously," the president says. "But, well, I didn't expect my family doctor to be Mystery Class, I mean. YOu mentioned that you'd be starting school this year but I didn't think I'd be sitting on the couch with my kids and seeing you at the UA Sports Festival."
"Well, it never really came up," Horizon shrugs. "How'd the family take the whole 'cutting Todoroki's head up' thing?"
"The missus is mad at you for showing our kids that, the kids cried…they'll get over it, not like you hurt anyone." 1
"Very true, and I won, it's been a good day."
"That it has been…and I'm hoping I can make both our day a lot better," John says. "But before we continue, you are a real Mystery Class, right?"
"Yes, don't believe me?" Horizon asks. "Nezu would have released a statement countering it if I wasn't."
"I know, and I do trust you, you're my doctor for christ's sake. But it's just a bit odd that your Hero Commission hasn't sent me or any other world leader a notice not to contact you. That's standard procedure for any top hero. Hell, I can't even contact any of Japan's top three hundred without calling Pantu first."
"Hmm, I assumed she would have put a warning out too."
"I guess she has absolute faith in your patriotic spirit huh? So…how unshakable is it?"
Horizon chuckles, knowing exactly where this is going. "Very shakable, but, she knows I don't ever break contracts, you know this too. And I've got a few more years playing hero for Japan until the contract is up and I get what I want."
"What if I can double her offer?" John asks.
"You can't," Horizon says. "Look you control the richest most advanced country on the planet, but I need to finish this contract before I do anything, at that point, we can talk."
"Mmm, fair enough, a man of integrity, that I can respect. But seeing as I'm up for re-election next year if you even just made a small trip back stateside I'd help me out a lot, and I'd make it worth your time." 1
"I'll probably be too busy becoming a top hero over here, but I do plan to leave Japan when this is all over."
"Ohh…"
"Yeah, what can you offer?"
"Well considering I control America, a twenty billion annual salary, on top of having all expenses paid so long as you take residence and citizenship within our borders. You'll have a full Pro Hero license immediately but only work when we really really need you, best to keep our miracle elixir safe after all. And whatever else you want…oh, and you don't pay taxes ofcourse." 11
"And this is for the current me, what about me after a few more years of training here?"
"That entirely depends on your status at that time, how high are you aiming, top 10?"
"More like Symbol Of Peace," he hears the president choke on the other side of the call.
"Won't it be a bit disastrous to become their Symbol Of Peace then just leave?" 13
"Not your country, do you really care?"
"Fair enough. Well, we can always negotiate at that time, but what I offered you earlier is the baseline since you're a Mystery Class…and a warping healing one at that."
"Mhm," Horizon mulls it over for a second, seeing much merit in moving to America after this contract is complete. "America is nice enough, has everything I really need, I guess after this contract is done we can talk John, assuming you're still president at that point."
"Oh, I will be," John laughs. "After I tell the big political lobbyists that I have you already considering moving to America in a few years they'll make sure I get elected next year, can't have a man with Horizon's personal number out of office right." 2
"So you insured your spot with this one phone call, very clever."
"You have to be clever to become president, but you need to be a good president to remain president," John says. "I'd like to think I'm both." 1
"I don't think even the people who hate you can deny that," Horizon shakes his head at how ridiculous this man always is. "There is one thing I'd appreciate if you could do for me actually…"
"Oh, what's that?"
"Can you stir the pot in the background, just a bit?"
"How so?"
"Well, I assume you were the first to call me because you used America's influence to bully the other world leaders into backing down, right?" 3
"Threatened them with sanctions they couldn't afford," John says. "What about it?" 6
"Then you're in a perfect spot to get them thinking I'll never leave Japan, everyone wins, especially since Japan will feel extra safe with me so persistently sticking around."
"But you'd lose out on the other offers."
"Can they offer me anything better than you? Because I don't think they could even match your offer," Horizon says.
"True," John thinks about it for a few seconds before he grunts. "Alright, I'll put the word out that you refuse to abandon Japan as things stand, that should help boost you in the local hero ranks over there, and I'll tell my people over here that when your contract is done we get the first bid. But I hope you know there is already an intense political shadow war behind the scenes just for access to you, this could get ugly, you cool with that?"
"Sounds like we've got a deal, and next year if I'm not busy doing hero work or school I'll pop over to the states to shake your hand, maybe some lucky press takes a few pictures of us at lunch or something."
"That'll easily keep me in office, just the usual annual checkup."
"And everybody wins, perfect," Horizon says. "It's always a pleasure talking to you mister president."
"Likewise doctor, now it looks like the stage is just about done…oh, that reminds me, congratulations on the gold medal by the way, certainly a performance for the history books." 3
Horizon chuckles at that, glancing over to his tv to see the arena nearly fully repaired. "The first of my many entries in the book of history sir…" 6
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 62: CHAPTER 058(Peerless)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
'I hope this ceremony is quick,' Horizon thinks to himself, standing on a circular concrete pillar as it slowly rises out of the floor under Cementoss's command.
The dim lights is suddenly replaced by the afternoon sun. Silence destroyed by the cheers of the roaring crowd.
Three such pillars rise out of the lawn in the fully repaired arena. In the middle on the tallest stands Horizon, still in his full PE Uniform with the front open.
To his right on the second highest spot is Bakugo, both his arms in casts and bandages wrapping most of his torso, silently staring down at his feet with an unreadable expression, clearly deep in thought. 10
And to his left on the third place pillar is Tokoyami, standing proudly with both hands at his sides, perfectly neat and respectable. 2
And standing in front of them are all the first-year students, looking up at their winners.
"Your podium spot winners!" Midnight proudly announces, gesturing to the three students.
She steps in front of Tokoyami and waves toward him, all the cameras turn to the boy, "in third place, actually sharing this position with his classmate Todoroki -who is currently dealing with other issues-," she casts a slight glare at Horizon. "Is 1As warrior or darkness, Tokoyami Fumikage!" 6
The crowd goes wild, and Tokoyami can't help but flinch at the sound of people chanting his name, trying his best not to blush.
"And in second place," Midnight walks in front of Bakugo for everyone to focus on him. "Showing off his incredible explosives move in every stage of the competition, Katsuki Bakugo!" 5
All the cheers become support for Bakugo, but he just keeps staring down at his feet.
The echoing support of the people being warped and twisted by his own worldview, shifting and melding with his inner voice. And Bakugo hears it all.
He hears that he'll never be enough, and he can only agree…
"And finally, the person you've all been waiting for, mister miracle himself, HORIZON!" 3
The crowd shakes the stadium, completely growing out Midnight's words.
Down in the mess of students Jiro flinches and covers her ears as the chanting begins.
"Ho-ri-zon!
Ho-ri-zon!
Ho-ri-zon!
Ho-ri-zon!
Ho-ri-zon!
Ho-ri-zon!
Ho-riz-on!" 7
Seeing all the cameras on him Horizon creates a room just big enough to reach 1A's homeroom a few hundred meters away and gives a simple command.
SHAMBLES!
His PE Uniform swaps out for his full Hero Costume, now revealed for the entire world to see as he points his weapon to the sky. 3
And the crowd can't seem to get enough of it.
And unfortunately for anyone with sensitive ears, it only gets worse when All Might appears, leaping from atop the stadium down into the arena with absolute ease.
Not wanting to waste time All Might quickly move to take the medals and begins handing them out. All while trying not to imagine the annoyed look he knew Horizon was likely giving him below that visor. 8
While picking up the bronze medal and moving toward the stairs at Tokoyami's pillar he notices Izuku out of the corner of his eye. Seeing the boy with his right arm in a cast and bandages across his legs and torsor, a complex expression of sadness, disappointment, and pain, is written across his face. 10
'This was only the first year young Midoriya, I'm sure you'll get one of these medals and make your debut next time…but I hate to imagine what the competition will be able to do by then,' All Might thinks while approaching Tokoyami. 1
In truth he knew Izuku's lackluster performance in the eyes of everyone would hurt the boy, but he was more worried about the pain that would come tomorrow. 1
With over three decades as a Pro Hero he knows exactly how the media loves a good story, and the moment he landed in the arena he could feel the atmosphere shift.
It was no longer as simple as the people seeing All Might hand out some medals. 1
The way everyone perked up with hope would have been normal at his arrival, had those looks been directed toward him.
But they were all looking between him and Horizon.
Between the best heroes from two generations.
Between the future Symbol of Peace, and the person he'd be passing that torch to… 2
He just hopes Izuku is able to handle the realization of how the world views them. And keep working despite everyone telling him how futile his efforts are.
"Young Tokoyami," All Might says, towering over Tokoyami as he places the bronze medal around his neck. Giving him a short hug and pat on the back he takes a step back and then continues. "You've clearly got a lot of work to do before you can fully control that Quirk of yours, but it is powerful, so I'm sure you'll be able to protect and save a lot of people. Just don't become too reliant on it, alright?"
"Your words humble me, taming the darkness in my soul is my burden and I will be sure to conquer it," Tokoyami nods politely. 14
"Uh…right," All Might fake coughs then quickly moves on to the silver medal, not sure how to respond to the little edgelord. 3
'Teens are so weird these days…' he thinks to himself while approaching Bakugo. 12
"Young Bakugo," All Might doesn't see the boy look up to even acknowledge him, and wisely decides to just give him a short hug before putting the medal around his neck, and still he doesn't respond. "Clearly winning means a lot to you, and I don't disagree with your views on what it means to be a hero. Always giving your all to save as many people as possible, to always win…but the sad reality is we as people can only do so much. Part of growing is to accept what you can't do, and perfect the things you can…" 1
Bakugo just stands there like a statue as All Might takes the gold medal and moves over to Horizon, only giving the boy a pat on the shoulder.
"Horizon, and in full Hero Costume no less," he chuckles, seeing the boy in his suit and holding the sword. "You truly do make being perfect look easy. Your presence has a profound effect on your peers, forcing them to improve just to keep up, all while you yourself are always improving. But being a hero isn't only about fighting and saving, it's also about this," All Might puts a hand over his own heart. "How you make people feel in here, words are a powerful thing, especially yours. You've got everything else down enough to already be a top pro, I have no doubt when you understand how to inspire people that my era will officially be over…" 1
The entire stadium seems to hold the same breath, a deathly silence befalls everyone as All Might gently place the gold medal around Horizon's neck.
As if passing the torch, from one Symbol of Peace, to the next… 4
While everyone looked at the scene with stars in their eyes, feeling safe knowing that All Might was teaching to prepare someone like Horizon as his successor, beneath his visor a set of completely different thoughts were swirling.
'Huh, so the medal is real gold,' he first thought. With it handing in the middle of his chest he gave it a quick scan. '500 grams of solid gold…in today's prices that's like $25,000. Nezu really has more money than he knows what to do with, well, me too I suppose.' 6
Then he looks around at all the people staring at him, as if they'd seen a second lifeline. All their hope for the next generation, the generation without All Might.
And he rolled his eyes.
'This is way too fucking easy, these worthless people are so desperate for someone to solve all their problems for them that they'll just throat the first cock that they think can do it…pathetic, but whatever, works for me…' 26
–30 Minutes Later…
Now back in his full school uniform Horizon sits at his desk in the 1A homeroom under the golden light of the setting sun. Everyone else was still changing and getting cleaned up so naturally he has some time to himself. 3
He looks at the gold medal still around his neck for a moment, playing with it in his left hand as he takes out his phone with the other.
Quickly finding the best pictures people took during the sports festival and posting them to his 'Yay!' profile, now at 70 Million followers. 7
One picture for each of his best moments, and there was no lack of options since everyone had eyes and cameras on him.
The first was him grabbing the banner at the finish line of the Obstacle Race, his first win of the day.
The second was him sitting on his classroom chair atop a floating stone, playing a game on his phone while everyone else competes in the Cavalry Game, his second win.
Then there were his personal favorites, the pictures from the fights.
Him holding Monoma and healing him.
Him standing casually and looking up at Shinso, who was doubled over a thin cement pillar that suddenly rose from the floor and knocked the wind out of him. 1
The picture of Horizon looking down on Shoto, holding the beating heart in his hand, that was his second favorite. 4
Buts his true favorite…that had to be him standing in a crater with Bakugo on his hands and knees groveling at his feet, and his foot firmly on Bakugo's head keeping him under his boot, right where he belongs. 10
And the final pictures he posted in this collection, one of All Might giving him the medal, and a full shot of him in Hero Costume wearing the medal, perfect for the hero-worshipping sheep. 1
A few moments later and their other students enter, all aside from Shoto and Iida. 2
Horizon keeps playing with his medal as everyone silently enters and takes their seats, suppressing their excitement at just finishing their first sports festival since Eraser was one step behind them, now at the front of the room.
"Alright listen up," Eraser says, drawing all eyes toward himself. "Good work out there, it should be obvious where you have to improve so just keep working at it. You've got the next two days off so I'll see you all here Wednesday morning, but then we should have all the internship offers sorted out, dismissed," he quickly shuffles out of the room. 1
The moment the door shuts behind Eraser the entire class erupts like a powder keg of excitement, everyone bombarding each other with questions.
And while all of this was going on, small conversations starting up, and people throwing praise and compliments at Horizon from all sides. 1
He sees a small Hero News alert on his phone, one that would lead to a complete change in the future of UA, and especially class 1A forever.
'Hero Killer Stain strikes again! Claiming his 70th victim! The Number 19 Pro Hero found dead in Hosu City hours ago, the hero Inginium is no more…' 37
END CHAPTER–
Volume 3 complete, please leave a review if you can. All speculation for the future of this story is welcomed. And yes Tensei Iida is dead.
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Chapter 63: CHAPTER 059(A Day In Tokyo)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"Huh, green…" Horizon says, currently sitting at a metal desk and holding a small eyeball between his fingers, now reassembled and securely in a jellylike cube of space. 2
On the table in front of him is another identical eye, along with the five-month-old baby they belong to, sleeping happily as if it weren't currently in surgery. 4
Horizon places both the eyeballs beside the baby and Shambles all the parts to properly merge together, then leans back in his chair and stretches.
Looking at his watch he sees it's just barely noon and immediately gets up, packing his medical bag, a simple white duffel bag with his blue logo on either side, then picks up the still-sleeping baby in his other hand.
Cradling the baby to his chest he takes his bag and gently opens the door, immediately greeted by a Latino couple. The man in a simple black suit and his wife in a blue dress, both immediately rise to their feet as they see him enter the room.
"Complete success," Horizon says quietly, not wanting to wake the baby.
They both rush over and the lady all but snatches her son out of his arms, hugging and kissing the baby as tears stream down her face.
She mutters a stream of 'thank god' for this miracle, and Horizon uses all his willpower not to groan and roll his eyes. 5
'God wanted your baby to be blind, but yeah…thank him…whatever,' he keeps his opinions to himself since these are just normal customers he'd likely never see again, traveling to the other side of the world just for his services. 10
After the family gawks over their now fixed baby the man leads his wife out of the room before returning to have a small chat with Horizon.
"You truly are a miracle worker," the man says in his native Spanish. 2
"You flatter me," Horizon responds in the same language.
"Truly, I just wish more people could experience this, or you could have more openings."
Horizon chuckles at that, "but if miracles were common then they wouldn't be miracles…and I wouldn't get to charge so much."
The man can't help but laugh at that, remembering the nearly half a billion dollars he paid for this appointment. "A very wise policy, but think of all you could do with more than one client per week."
"I wish I could do almost a dozen every week like last year, but sadly I'm in UA six days a week, it just can't happen," Horizon shrugs. "To the highest bid goes the miracle." 2
The man shakes his head and smiles bitterly at that, "then I am thankful to be the highest bid this week, doctor," he extends his hand.
"Again, it's just Horizon," Horizon shakes his hand…
–5 Minutes Later…
SHAMBLES
Horizon suddenly appears into his penthouse suite in Saitama Tokyo, only a few blocks away from the hotel that he had just been operating in. 5
"Finally!" he groans, dropping his medical bag and removing his visor, revealing his face covered in sweat, hair matted to his head. 2
As he summons the card he just swapped with back to his person he begins undressing, ready to just get cleaned up and find something to eat.
Completely exhausted from performing a five-hour surgery.
Not only performing Lasik Sugery on both eyes, but also brain surgery and nerve reconstruction to connect those eyes to the brain. 5
5 Hours.
400 Million USD. 14
2 Healthy working eyes.
A fair deal? Not really his place to decide, all he knows is he got paid.
Getting ready for a shower he looks out his window to see the city in front of him. From where he currently was, Minato prefecture was 25km away, the home of the All Might hero agency, currently not operational since he's in Musutafu to teach at UA. 1
But only 5km away in the heart of Saitama prefecture was the massive 50-story tall Endeavor Hero Agency. The most active and effective hero agency in the world, with the most annual incidents resolved for the past 15 years in a row, globally. Just barely poking out among the other buildings in the skyline of that particular area, but half the height of the building Law was currently standing in.
While most Hero Agencies were smaller and more modest, more along the lines of Best Jeanist who only had a 5-story building, Endeavor and All Might had monolithic skyscrapers, earned by the sheer number of cases they've resolved. 1
"No wonder this penthouse is so fucking expensive," Law grumbles. "Would have to be a dumbass to commit a crime this close to Endeavor and his flaming idiots, and just one prefecture over is king meathead himself…for now." 1
–30 Minutes later.
Sitting at a balcony table in a restaurant only a few blocks away from his penthouse Law is enjoying his lunch.
Wearing a simple black t-shirt, short sleeves to expose his tattoos, and a low cut to show off a bit of the ink on his chest. Along with simple blue jeans and a black belt, his white and blue watch was swapped out for a black and gold edition. 6
Grilled beef, white rice, fruits and vegetables, and a glass of orange juice. Nothing fancy, dessert is what he was really here for after all. This restaurant is famous for its Parfait.
Feeling his phone vibrate on the table Law flips it over to glance at the screen, slightly missing the fact that the caller ID would just appear in his visor when it was on, now aware that he'd have to make sure nobody saw Nezu's name if he was calling him.
He glances about for barely a second, all the other patrons focused entirely on their food.
"Gild, what's going on?" Law asks, relaxing back in his seat. 3
"Everything is ready for tonight," a cheerful man answers through the phone. "All the fighters are lined up, the tickets are sold, invitations sent out…and we've even got some early bets starting."
"The best fighters?" Law asks.
"Well you only gave me two weeks to put this together, but a big pot always attracts the best fighters…and they've never seen money like this before, hell I've never seen money like this before."
"Anyone special?"
"Well you wanted brawlers, we got some E and D list Pros, and a special treat or two, but no Pro above that would get caught dead in this, reputation and all that shit."
"Tch, don't they know laws only apply to poor people," Law chuckles.
"Obviously not, that's why they're heroes," Gild laughs so hard Law has to move the phone away from his ear. "Anyway, not everyone can just make a generous donation to the cops retirement and disability fund like you alright."
"Hey now," Law sounds amused and offended. "I don't bribe them to give me a pass…I also donate to the fire department…ya know…the Matani Estate is very charitable to our brave servicemen and women." 1
Gild laughs into the phone again, "you say that like you don't remember what happened the night we met…"
"Uh," Law thinks about it for a second before lowering his voice. "Yeah we were in Shibuya after the supercar auction, and you tried to fight me because your favorite girl was in my room and you were in the mood to do coke off her tits…" 3
"Wait…" Gild thinks about it for a second. "Oh yeah…guess the fire was with someone else huh." 1
"Definitely…"
"Well, anyway, I'll send a car for you and whoever you're bringing tonight."
"It's just me tonight. The new job keeps me busy sadly," Law says.
"Well I'll find some pretty things to keep you company in your private box, I'll call if anything changes."
"Gotcha, just–"
BOOM!
The building opposite Law suddenly begins crumbling as a gigantified villain, 15m -45ft-tall, erupts from it and begins swinging wildly. 2
"–Gotta go Gild," Law says before hanging up. Simply remaining in this seat as all the other patrons begin scrambling about, watching the fight with mild amusement.
'Honestly, I feel like every other villain has gigantification with how common this shit is…' 6
But as he's about to get bored the massive, lanky and thin, grey-skinned villain is suddenly attacked by a flying hero blasting out of the building.
Delta Stream, he wore a skin-tight all-red suit with a long flowing cape, and hanging from his arms was another hero wearing a grey and blue costume with a red cape, the suit rose into a hood that covered his right eye, leaving only his left eye and mouth exposed, X-Less. 4
Watching the duo zip around Law couldn't help but enjoy the show. Some may call it gluttony, or maybe just being ungrateful. But the human desire for more is insatiable.
And for as long as he could remember, Law Matani has always been jealous of those who could fly.
Delta Stream throws X-Less high into the air, and on the way down he lines up his eye blast, and first a wide laser down at the villain, completely knocking him out. 4
'Laser eyes are so damn cool,' Law thinks to himself. 'Maybe in ten years I'll have enough energy for that…' 6
But not before the wild flailing arm catches Delta Stream with a lucky strike and knocks the hero into the road below. 1
And without any physical augmentation effect on his body, simply pure flight is his only ability. 1
SPLAT!
Watching from two stories up on the balcony Law sees X-Less holding Delta Stream in his arms as the hero takes his last breath.
If only they had a doctor on the scene with a healing Quirk, or even better, someone with a warping Quirk that could have helped him avoid being hit. 3
But alas, Horizon was not at the scene, just Law Matani watching with uninterested eyes as yet another hero dies. 5
"Fuck," Law mutters under his breath, turning around to see the entire restaurant empty. "I'm not gonna get my parfait…" 8
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 64: CHAPTER 060(Power Brawl)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the back of a fully armored SUV Law idly taps the armrest and nods along to the soft hum of music. 1
The windows were blacked out from both sides, making it impossible to know where you were being taken.
All cellular signals were blocked the moment the door shut behind him, and the divider between him and the drivers was up the entire time, without his particular Quirk he would have had no idea that he was currently being taken through a tunnel beneath Mt. Tanzawa, just outside of Tokyo to the south-west.
This was the standard procedure for all of Gild's events, hosted in a multitude of massive private and secret facilities across Japan.
While he didn't have the same level of efficiency in construction or wealth as Nezu, Girl could undoubtedly get the job done over a few years by bribing the right people. And with the wealth of investors and clients he has, hollowing out part of a mountain isn't the most complicated matter. 4
Feeling the vehicle stop for a moment, Law then notices them moving up a cargo elevator, at least twenty stories.
ROOM!
His room spreads out for 1KM in every direction, giving him a full map of the tunnel system, a sonar map of all the other guests and vehicles, and even a full display of the massive octagon he was currently being taken to.
As the elevator stops the vehicle drives for a few seconds before the door opens on its own, prompting him to step out.
And the moment he does he sees Gild Tesoro, the greatest underground showman in Japan. Standing at 2.5meters tall -8ft2-, absolutely towering over Law and even making All Might look small. 6
Slicked back long blonde hair with shades atop his head, and wide muscular shoulders, all wrapped in a pink suit with gold accents and a white undershirt. Ten golden rings on his fingers and countless other accessories adorning him. 1
His presence could not be missed, especially when standing next to Law, currently wearing a black suit with a gold undershirt, the Matani Estate logo on each shoulder -his shoulder tattoo of intricate hearts-.
"Always the last to arrive eh?" Gild shakes his head as he gestures for Law to follow him. Now walking through a luxurious hallway, completely unbefitting of what should otherwise be a service entrance.
"Well I've still got a few minutes before the first fight, plus I figure since I'm putting up the cash for the prize and keeping the lights on for tonight, they wouldn't mind waiting a few minutes," Law shrugs.
"True, my usual sponsor got here early as usual, and he's always the last to leave, guess you wealthy people have that in common," Gild chuckles as they enter Law's private booth.
A massive viewing room with a red carpeted floor. A private bar with a gorgeous woman behind the counter, and a slew of illegal drugs off to the side on a trolley. 2
One-way glass walls separate them from the octagonal ring below, and hundreds of people in comfortable seats below surround the ring. All dressed immaculately, enjoying alcohol and any other vice they wish, some more focused on using the screen built into the chairs to start placing bets and reading the odds.
Law sees a couch closer to the glass with a few scantily clad women enjoying drinks on it, and one pats the spot between them giving him a sultry look. 1
He only shoots Gild an accusatory glance.
"What?" Gild shrugs. "You pay top shelf, you get the full Gild Tesoro experience." 1
"Well, might as well get my money's worth." 1
"That's the spirit," Gild gives him a light pat on the back, which nearly palms his entire back. "And some of these people are dying to meet the mysterious sponsor, this is a good chance for you to kick open some doors and invest in whatever schemes they have going."
"My investment company is maxed out on capital right now," Law says, keeping his cover of a young genius investor intact. "Maybe after I cash in next year."
"Well, I'm sure they'll remember this night, nothing like rum, drugs, and whores to make friends over…"
"Don't remind me," Law groans.
Gild just laughs and begins walking away, "just tell the bartender if you need anything, and that includes her…and try to enjoy the show, you're paying for it after all," he calls out over his shoulder while leaving the room.
Law considers it for a moment, the looks between the bartender and ladies on the couch, all magazine worthy, then back to the bartender, "I'll have a martini, dry…" he ordered before sitting with his temporary companions. 1
He tunes them out for a minute and focuses on the crowd.
'Politicians, big business types…judges? Must have taken some damn good bribes to be able to afford a ticket to this, hell to even get a invite…'
Law sits back as Gild enters the ring by being raised on a platform in the middle of it, 3 mics floating round him, solid gold.
His Quirk, Gold Manipulation, it allows him to meld and shape any gold he touches for up to 10 minutes after touching it. Since he can't generate the substance however finding a use for it is rare, but he quickly became a world-class jeweler before getting busted for illegal Quirk use. 7
But now he's 26, and he runs events like this as Japan's best underground showman. After being arrested for such an illegal Quirk use it's difficult to find a job in Japan that will trust you enough to allow you to start building credibility, but he still does love making jewelry, hence him making Law's current favorite black and gold watch and gifting it to him. 3
A peace offering for their first meeting, a fight involving some whores, cocaine, alcohol, and a lot of ice cream. 5
Law cringes at that particular memory as the bartender plops down in his lap and leans back against him, raising his martini to his lips. 6
'Time to enjoy the show…'
"WELCOME EVERYONE!" Gild starts his announcement, earning a round of cheers from the audience. "I'd say 'I hope you're having a good day,' but if you can afford to be here you're certainly doing better than most…and you're about to have one hell of a night!
Well, tonight we've got one hell of an event for you. Tonight's sponsor wants bloody brawls, no fancy tricks, just muscles, knuckles, and blood!"
The crowd goes wild, and Gild smiles at all the rich people and their boring lives, excited to see people kill each other.
"Normally the prize is decided by how much you all paid to get in here…but tonight is a bit different, the pot was decided weeks ago!
That's right, one person is bankrolling it, and I think we can all agree the fighters are gonna be fighting extra hard tonight!"
The screens above the ring show a 32-fighter tournament bracket, four stages then the finals.
"That's right, 32 fighters, one champion, but this isn't winner take all, we want everyone doing their best in every stage! 1
Every fighter has a wallet, and that wallet, at this very moment, has $500,000 in it!
Every win adds exactly one million dollars.
It takes four wins to get to the finals, that 4.5 Million, to do whatever you want it!"
The crowd falls silent, everyone suddenly realizing that this was almost five times the usual grand prize that fighters get at these events. Many people move to shift their bets, now knowing people will be fighting extra hard for that kind of life-changing money.
"And the grand prize…" Gild smiles wickedly, he could almost see the crowd falling off the edge of their seat as the tension builds. "The winner of the entire tournament, their wallet doesn't go to 5.5 Million….but 50 MILLION DOLLARS! That's 50 mil in untraceable cash…without taxes of course, because you all know what we say about taxes here, right?" 3
He hears a chorus of laughter from the crowd.
"Taxes are for–"
He lifts his mic to the crowd, "POOR PEOPLE!" they all yell in unison. 39
"Hahahha, now who's ready to see some blood?!"
The crowd goes wild once again, and Law enjoys his drinks and company as he sits back and waits for the carnage to unfold.
Ready to watch some Power Types brawl it out and kill each other, all the get a better and more up-close understanding of the mistakes they usually make while fighting. 1
If he wants to shift his combat style a bit then he'd need experience, and this is just a way to fastrack that. Plus he's always looking for new and creative ideas…
As the first match is beginning, Law sees what looks to be a man a simple strength enhancer enter the ring with a guy that has a strange Quirk that generates extra muscle fibers across his body. 4
'Gross,' was his only thought, and the ladies sitting atop and beside him reel back in disgust.
But luckily for them, that particular individual would only win this round, because Muscular is a big fish in a little pond, while Gild was able to cast a large international net with the cash prize Law offered.
Opening his ROOM one more time Law does another scan of the entire arena, not sensing anything weird, and he recognizes everyone in the other VIP Booths, so he simply closes the ROOM and enjoys his night.
However, on the top level with Law's booth are a few others, only 8, one for each side of the ring.
But in one of the rooms directly opposite him is a large man wearing a simple suit, not currently connected to any lift support systems, sitting on a large chair alone. A black industrial mask covering his head. 2
All For One, the usual sponsor of these events, purely to scout unique and useful Quirks, this time simply getting to be a guest and save some of his money, enjoying the show.
He always arrives first to take a look at the list of fighters, and always waits until everyone else leaves before getting more hands-on with the fighters.
Because of this, he's fortunate that Law wouldn't sense anything off -not that his ROOM was currently active-but for later when Kurogiri opens a Warp Gate to retrieve his master.
The demon lord sits and enjoys the show, while the future Symbol Of Peace does the exact same. 5
So close to meeting, but yet so ignorant of the negligible distance between them. 7
But fortunately for all the otherwise defenseless spectators, and the currently unarmed Law, their meeting was nearly 3 months away, near the end of July.
When Horizon and All For One would finally meet, and the fate of the world will rest in a simple contract… 14
END CHAPTER–
Just curious, I got done with chapter 90 a few hours ago and that means I'm officially writing the December chapters right now. By then how far into the MHA timeline do you think we'll be? 6
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Chapter 65: CHAPTER 061(State Of Oppression) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
'Why did I make this meeting so fucking early…' Horizon thinks as he struggles to stay awake, sitting in a comfortable leather chair, wearing his full Hero Costume, minus the sword of course. 1
Currently, he is in Tokyo, Detnerat headquarters. He is sitting on his chair with a small coffee table between him and the other chair, looking out over Tokyo through the wall of massive windows on the top floor of this forty-story building.
Behind him wash a large desk and a more formal setup, the entire far wall consumed by a well-stocked bookshelf. 1
The 9 AM sun was finally getting comfortable in the sky, keeping Horizon awake as he stretches and yawns.
'Where does Gild even find those girls…fucking animals,' he thinks with a small and tired smile on his lips, completely hidden beneath the visor.
Hearing a click behind him he stands up and turns around to see the massive double doors open, and in walks Rikiya Yosubashi, the CEO and founder of Detnerat. 6
Or as the members of his Meta Liberation Army know him, Re-Destro. A villain plotting the downfall of the oppressive Quirk society that most people are content with. 5
"Mister Yotsubashi," Horizon greets the man, giving him a firm handshake.
The man was of a muscular build beneath his black suit, white stripes running vertically along it. Standing at 6ft -182cm-tall, wearing a green tie and light green undershirt. His hair was orange and receeding with a prominent widow's peak, exposing two small moles on the left side of his forehead.
The support item genius who founded Detnerat, for the Meta Liberation Army to take a more prominent role in society and equip themselves. Under the guise of making Lifestyle Support Items to accommodate the variety of needs caused by certain Quirks, all while quietly making weapons for villains and their members alike.
"Horizon, it's a pleasure to meet you," Yotsubashi says, quickly breaking the handshake. "And please, call me Rikiya, I am hoping for this to be the start of a long and prosperous friendship."
"Well, I certainly hope so as well Rikiya."
Rikiya directs Horizon back to his seat and both men get comfortable looking out over the city. "Are you sure I can't have my assistant get you anything, maybe some tea?"
"No I'm quite fine, but I am very curious about why you asked for a meeting rather than simply making the delivery," Horizon says.
"Ahh, just as I assumed, you wouldn't want to waste time, we're both quite busy from what I understand," Rikiya leans back and reaches into his jacket, taking out what appears to be a candy bar.
A sleek white wrapper with Horizon's blue logo in the middle of it, nothing else on the package.
Horizon takes it and feels the weight of the bar in his hand, as large as a chocolate bar that only had four blocks, but almost as heavy as a small bottle of water.
"It's even smaller than I expected," Horizon says, fiddling with it in his hand. 1
"We managed to get the formula you requested down to half the expected size, but, legally I must advise against consuming an entire one of these bars within 48 hours, and the deal you signed also specified that these are not for resale, only personal use….if a child ate one of these it could literally kill them." 2
"I'll keep them on high shelves," Horizon chuckles. 1
"You never specified exactly what these are for," Rikiya mentions. "Does your Quirk need a fuel to trigger it perhaps?"
"No, I just got really sick of having to eat eight meals a day to bulk up, it made me start to hate food, this will solve that problem." 1
"Oh…that's not what I expected, either way, the first three shipments have been sent to UA," Rikiya just relaxes in his chair as Horizon puts away the bar. "Well I'm sure you can afford it, but does UA not provide these services through their legendary Support Department?"
"Not to these specifications," Horizon says. "If you want something simple like sugar pills they can handle that, but they don't cook or process food, any Quirk that needs to eat a lot is generally left to figure it out themselves."
"That makes sense since it's students working on the gear of other students," Rikiya says. "But you are quite far ahead of the others, your website went online and is already causing a bit of a stir."
Horizon chuckles at that, "people really got so surprised that I opened a website to sell merchandise, they act like you need a Hero License to do that. Once you aren't falsely advertising yourself as a hero it's fine, just trademark yourself and build a brand." 1
"People are also upset that you're undercutting their prices," Rikiya points out.
"Well, I've got the money to afford it. I don't care about profits, just building the Horizon brand."
A short and oddly comfortable silence befalls the room as Rikiya leans forward, nodding quietly as he finds his words, knowing the next few moments could either guarantee absolute victory for his movement, or completely destroy it. A once-in-a-lifetime chance to sway a Mystery Class to their side.
"May I ask a more personal question?" Rikiya asks politely.
"I assume that's why you wanted to meet in person, I hope you aren't going to offer me a Support Item sponsorship, I'm not really allowed to use outside stuff while studying at UA," Horizon taps the side of his visor.
"Nonono, the last this I need is Nezu destroying my company. But…I will admit now that your public file is no longer hidden, very sparse but still public to companies like mine. I do have some people very excited to make a better version of your visor, maybe one that's a bit smaller while still keeping you alive," Rikiya suggests.
"I prefer this style, but thanks for the offer," Horizon says, playing along with the info on his public file that his visor was a Lifestyle Support item, making it illegal for any authority in any country to force him to remove it. 1
"Well if you change your mind, you have my number, but now I'd like to ask a more serious question."
"I'm listening."
Rikiya pauses for a moment, feeling his heart rate steadily increase before he takes a deep breath and calms down a bit, "how do you feel about people not being able to use their Quirks freely? I have a theory that you're becoming a hero partly so that you may legally warp about, otherwise Quirk use is illegal without a Hero License. Do you have any opinion on that legal system?"
"Hmmm, well, that's a bit complicated…"
"How so?" Rikiya asks, leaning forward to listen carefully.
"Well, on one hand, yeah I think people should be able to use their Quirks. It's kinda like a few hundred years ago when people weren't allowed to be openly gay, right? Quirks are part of you that you can't deny and should be free to express." 12
"Right, exactly."
"But…" Horizon gestures to the city. "If someone is gay they don't develop possibly city-destroying abilities, they're still just a regular person. So on one hand, sure it'd be great if people could just be themselves in regards to Quirks…but on the other hand, anyone who thinks there shouldn't be any Quirk regulations clearly underestimates how stupid the average person really is.
People can't be trusted to use power responsibly, they need a rigid rule structure or else everything will quickly devolve into chaos. And in the cases of Quirks, everyone has to be held down the same way unless they have a license, because if we say something like 'harmless Quirks can be used freely but offensive Quirks can't be,' then that's a whole other discrimination problem, and that's how current society makes villains. By putting stupid Hero-Villain labels on everything.
For every person that gets to freely fly around the sky, you've got to consider some idiot with a fire Quirk accidentally burning down a house, it's best for everyone if nobody but the Pros can use Quirks." 2
Rikiya sits back and taps his chin, considering Horizon's words very carefully. Atleast on the outside he was, internally he was absolutely outraged that Horizon would agree with the government, now knowing that this future Pro would likely be the greatest threat to their revolution.
"And how do you treat unauthorized Quirk use?" Rikiya asks.
"Just between us, generally if you aren't causing a commotion or bothering people, I don't really care, but–" Horizon raises his hand to halt Rikiya's response. "But, I'm only one person, if I take that stance it's one thing, but if the government takes that stance it will cause chaos. Plus honestly since I'm gonna be a hero I should be more strict with the laws, give people an inch and they'll take a mile and all that," he shrugs.
Rikiya considers how to best use this information to push the agenda of his movement, and the gears finally click into place.
Horizon is building a brand.
He's not afraid to speak his mind.
Legally he's essentially untouchable.
And he has strong beliefs that he will gladly tell people about…all he needs is a few cameras on him.
"I see, and would you be willing to speak openly about the points you just made, regaining Quirk use, and the statement you made about society creating villains?" 1
"Huh?"
"Well… have you heard of Chitose Kizuki?" Rikiya asks.
"President of Shoowaysha, obsessive journalist, impossible hot blue lady, yeah," Horizon sees Rikiya's brow twitch slightly at that last descriptor. "Oh…and the secret girlfriend of Rikiya Yotsubashi?"
"I can get you an interview with her," Rikiya says, completely ignoring the last insinuation. "She'd love to have you on her talk show and it would help to build your brand, I can't imagine it will be easy to build any Hero reputation before you get your Provisional License next year."
"Hmm," Horizon considers it for a moment, knowing an interview with her would put more eyes on him, good or bad he just needed people watching him. "Can the interview be at the start of summer?"
"I'm sure she won't mind, although I don't–" Rikiya pauses, then sighs, feeling like an idiot. "Because you'll have your Provisional License after June…" he mutters.
"I'm already better than most pros, why waste time when I could be helping people," Horizon shrugs, chuckling quietly as Rikiya shakes his head.
"I'll have her call you, assuming it's alright if I give her your number?"
"Pretty ladies are always welcomed," Horizon sees Rikiya give him an annoyed look. "I'm kidding, I won't flirt with your girl, not like I could do anything even if I wanted to," Horizon raises his gloved hand to tap the side of his visor. 2
"Oh, right," Rikiya gives him a sympathetic look, unable to imagine what it must be like to always wear that visor and body glove. According to Horizon's file they were both needed for him to properly function. 9
BEEP BEEP BEEP!
Rikiya's phone immediately goes off before the conversation can get started again. Taking it out he gives Horizon an apologetic look. "I'm sorry but something has come up at the lab, I'll have to cut our meeting short."
Both men rise and Horizon gives him a polite handshake, "it was a pleasure meeting you."
"Well if you ever want to set up another meeting you have my number," Rikiya says, "and please just call if you need a different flavor for the meal bars."
"Will do."
SHAMBLES!
Horizon disappears from the office, and swaps for one of his metal cards before that too disappears.
Rikiya grits his teeth at that and begins walking out of his office toward his research lab, taking out his phone and calling Chitose, or as the Meta Liberation Army know her, the villain and head of their public relations and propaganda department, Curious, the queen of their army.
Before the first ring can finish she answers.
"Rikiya?" Her cheerful and excited voice flows through the phone, "what's going on?"
"I just got you an interview with mister miracle himself," Rikiya immediately pulls the phone away from his ear before her excited screech can start.
"When?!" She asks after settling down.
"July, he wants to get his Provisional License first, of course this is all to be kept quiet."
"I know that, obviously," he can just feel her eyeroll through the phone at this point. "Did you get a number?"
"Yes, but you won't be getting it, I can't trust you not to get excited and badger him with questions."
"Will you give it to Skeptic to track it, maybe bug his phone?" she asks.
"Absolutely not," Rikiya says. "I had Skeptic do a very light check on the number, it flows through Swiss Vault."
"Oh, Nezu's security program…" Curious mutters. "Well anyway, what's he like, did he agree with us?"
"Mmm, not exactly. He doesn't particularly care about abiding by the laws of this oppressive society, he even uses his Quirk to warp about, but he also doesn't care about the people who, unlike him, aren't above the law. The people like us who live without being able to fully express what makes us special."
"So he's a selfish jerk," Curious says. 2
"Essentially, yes. But he does have some opinions about this society and hero-centric culture that we can certainly use to stir up the people."
"Ohh, that's good, what about his Quirk, did you get anything about that?"
"I decided to not push my luck and ask," Rikiya sighs. "Being what is technically a villain sitting across from one of the most powerful people on that planet that is clearly itching for a chance to make a name for himself as a hero…that was stressful enough. The last thing I need is him being suspicious of me poking around at his Quirk." 3
"But you could have just taken him out there right, if you were that stressed out, yes?"
Rikiya stops walking, considers it, shakes his head, then keeps walking. "My Quirk converts stress into power, but there isn't enough stress in the world to beat him, but I do believe with the right incentive he can be swayed to our side." 7
"But what can we offer someone like that?" 1
"That's what we need to figure out, but he certainly doesn't seem like one of those golden-hearted heroic types, he clearly wants to be famous and influential, he has some hidden motive." 5
"Hmm, but is it worth the risk, he is super dangerous after all," Curious mutters quietly, not liking the idea of having to fight Horizon.
"Yeah, it's worth it, because it's Horizon, he's invincible…" 19
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 66: CHAPTER 062(Legacy and Grief)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
"These things are a lifesaver," Horizon says, standing in his Musutafu apartment watching the rain beat down on the city, including UA off in the distance.
In his hands are three of his custom meal bars, which he carefully places into his jacket pocket. The thousands he bought were already scanned for anything suspicious before he brought them into this property for storage.
"Room…"
SHAMBLES!
He suddenly appears in his seat, only a few classmates quietly chattering about, not even batting an eye as he warps his card back into his hand and puts it away. He immediately shrinks his room down from a 5km radius to 20 meters, just enough to know when Eraser was close.
Behind him, Momo was reading a book, quietly enjoying her morning and waiting for class to start. At the very back of the room stood Sero and Tokoyami with a few other classmates, he could hear them excitedly talking about people recognizing them from the sports festival three days ago. And in her seat closer to the front Jiro was listening to music, her Earphone Jack plugged into her phone. 5
But all the chatter suddenly stopped the moment Iida entered the room, Deku one step behind him. Horizon spared him a glance before leaning back and ignoring him, but most of the students got up from what they were doing to give their condolences.
Over the past two days, Ingenium had been on every news channel, it would be impossible not to know about his death by now. 3
Their first taste of what they truly risk by becoming a hero. 2
Listening in on the conversation Horizon hears Iida's cheerful responses, telling his classmates that he'll be alright no matter how many times they asked, and he doesn't think anything of Iida's responses.
"Eraser is coming," Horizon announces, and everyone scatters back to their seats immediately, sitting quietly and waiting for their teacher.
ROOM.
He shuts off his Quirk and leans back, expecting to fall asleep during math class this morning. Thus far he's slept through almost every single class that wasn't geared toward heroics.
He even sleeps through Midnight's 'History of heroics' classes, and since UA doesn't grade the Hero Course students on class work, he doesn't bother with in-class work.
To compensate for the life of their Hero Course students UA doesn't give any kind of project or group projects to them, or grades on classwork, only exams. This is entirely because students will likely be getting Provisional Licenses and have to take days out of their school week to do hero work, missing classwork would be unavoidable, so everything is staked on the exams instead.
Because of this everything you need to pass the mid and end-of-semester exams is in the textbooks, and since those exams are all that matters, and Horizon has already read the books…he can sleep all he wants in class.
Only the afternoon classes would even need his attention, so until lunchtime he can just relax.
Thus far only Mic keeps waking him up, and that's almost entirely because of how loud the man can be when he's teaching.
"Good morning class," Eraser says in a tired voice, hearing a chorus of polite responses from most of the students. Unlike his usual walk to the front podium, this time he turns to glance at Iida, seeing the boy as studious as even he just gives him a short sympathetic look before continuing on.
"So by now I'm sure most of you have had to deal with the public," Eraser says. "UA gives many advantages, this is one of them. Every department is about either training heroes, supporting heroes, or teaching people to manage heroes, but this has caused the effect of us having all eyes on our Hero Course students.
Because of this students tend to get famous before going pro if they really stand out, and since your class is already more famous than most hero students, some more than others," he glances at Horizon and Todoroki. "I'm sure you've had to deal with people wanting to talk to you or get pictures."
He sees most of the class nod, either having people they know call them or dealing with fans while traveling to school this morning.
"Well, how you deal with this is important, having your identity out there can be good to build a legacy or fanbase, but privacy is also valuable. In a society of celebrity heroes most people just lean into the fame side of things, whatever you choose, just think very carefully before you commit. You can't be officially listed until you get a Provisional License and completely the three-year probation period with it, at that point you could completely reinvent yourself, but remember, some things you just won't be able to hide or bury, so your careers have already begun…"
Many students nod along nervously, genuinely never having considered these things before, still committed to being celebrity heroes…because that's just how most pros do it. And most of the top 10 Pros -with the exception of Hawks, All Might, and Yoroi Musha-have public identities. Not to mention that only Yoroi Musha has a proper mask, the other two have their face exposed and are in their hero person 24/7 -before All Might got injured-.
But Yoroi Musha is literally known as 'the senior citizen hero,' so of course most people think he's old-fashioned for separating hero and personal life. 7
After a few more minutes of talking from Eraser, Ectoplasm politely knocks on the door and opens it, ready to begin their day with an intense math class…or in Horizon's case, nap time. 2
–9:15 AM…
Hearing the bell Horizon wakes up and stretches, sitting up in his chair just in time to see Ectoplasm leave the room and everyone getting up, ready to do whatever it is they do during recess.
"Hey Horizon," Sero gets his attention. "Since it's still raining, are you coming to the cafeteria with us? Can't imagine you'd wanna go up on the roof in this weather…"
"Sure," he says, normally he'd have to go force down an entire meal shake at this time, but thankfully that isn't the case anymore.
"Actually I was hoping to speak to you about something," Iida interrupts them, leaving Deku and Uraraka to approach Horizon. "Privately if possible."
Horizon just sighs and nods, turning in his chair to face the walkway. Sero smiles awkwardly and quickly moves to catch up to Tokoyami, Momo, Jiro, and Shoji, who were waiting at the door for him and Horizon.
A few seconds later and only Iida and Horizon were in the room. Iida carefully takes a seat on Tokoyami's chair and swivels to look at Horizon, hands in his lap and a complicated expression on his face.
"Ok, what do you want?" Horizon asks.
"I assume you heard the news about my brother…"
"Yeah, Stain got him," Horizon says casually. "I'm a doctor, but not the therapy kind, if that's what you're looking for."
"Well, actually, I'd like to know how you do it."
"Do what?"
Iida takes a deep breath and slouches slightly, for the first time Horizon sees him not being stiff as a board. "At the sports festival, you spoke freely about how you lost your parents, that you're alone in the world…but you're still moving forward. My brother was the most important person to me, I'm not like you, I still have my parents, but it still feels all hollow without him, how did you fix that? How did you keep going when it felt like part of you is missing?"
"That's actually easy," Horizon says, causing Iida to look at him in surprise. "You don't fix it."
"What?"
"You don't fix it, because you can't." Horizon's voice becomes surprisingly gentle as he continues, "every day it will hurt, and it'll never stop, no matter how many people tell you it will get better, it doesn't. But you grow, and the more you grow the smaller that hole in your chest seems in comparison. It doesn't stop hurting, you just get bigger and stronger so the pain seems like less, but it will always be there, at least that's my experience with it." 13
Iida looks down at the floor between them, letting his words sink in, realizing that maybe he wasn't crazy for thinking that he'd never be able to move on from this as he'd read about.
"But what if Stain is still out there?" Iida asks, looking up at Horizon.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, what if I can't let that fact go, that the monster that killed my brother, that killed a true hero, is still out there and will kill more people," Iida grits his teeth, a look of fury on his face. "What if I need to know that he will never do this again, not to anyone?" 1
Horizon sighs and shakes his head. "Look, I don't really believe in revenge for things like this, I mean your brother was a Pro Hero, this is the risk of the business. You can't get mad when someone trains and signs up to fight killers every day, then one killer gets lucky."
"You expect me to just let it go?!"
"No, but I expect you to understand the risks and consequences of actions, you can't act surprised when a soldier gets shot just because he was your brother. Heroes die every day, that's the job, that's literally what all the government propaganda convinces people to do, why should it be any different just because it's someone you love?"
"But my brother was a good person," Iida argues.
Horizon rolls his eyes beneath the visor, "the world doesn't really care about that, but I can see you're too invested to think about this logically so how about this, what's your plan?"
Iida looks confused, not sure where this is going, "my plan?"
"Yeah, you seem like you have one, probably a stupid one."
"I…I don't think I should tell you."
"If you tell me, I promise I'll keep it between us, no matter what," Horizon says. "It's a contract between us, and I never break a contract."
Iida looks at him skeptically, but decides to trust Horizon, he's never once seen him be dishonest, and he does value his opinion very highly.
"I'm going to kill Stain," Iida says, a look of rage flashing across his face at the thought. 5
"I figured…since I promised I would keep this between us then I won't report it, not that I would either way. What you want to do with your life isn't my problem, once I'm not there it can't bite me in the ass," Horizon shrugs.
Iida looks taken aback at this, he was expecting a lecture on how wrong killing was, that's what any other Hero Course student would do at the very least, but Horizon barely bats an eye at his plan.
"Thank you for understanding," Iida says.
"Ok but let's play the scenario out," Horizon says. "Are you gonna wait until you get a Provisional License?"
"I can't wait for that," Iida says.
"Ok, so illegal Quirk use, that's grounds to get you expelled if it's done to intentionally harm or kill someone. Basically anything but an absolute emergency, or if a Pro Hero gives you permission to engage while you're working under them, that's technically not legal but once you don't get hurt nobody would cause a fuss. But they'll never let you actually fight a villain before you get your license, so you'd have to go solo. And the cops will immediately know you went after Stain because of the obvious motive. So bye-bye hero career. 1
But all of this is assuming you get caught or someone interrupts the fight, which is super likely since Stain only hunts in the abandoned edges of big populated cities. 1
If you don't get caught it's all fine…well, if you live, which you won't."
"But–"
"No," Horizon interrupts him. "No way around it, he will kill you. He's killed dozens of Pro Heroes, including your brother who has the same Quirk as you, but with an extra what, fifteen years of experience and probably more power, do you really think you can kill someone that your brother couldn't?" 7
Iida just deflates, falling into silence for a tense moment as he quickly comes to the same conclusions as Horizon, but then he gets an insane idea.
"What if you help me?" Iida asks.
"No, not worth the risk of getting expelled."
"But he's killed dozens of people, including my brother, think of all the people we'd be saving," Iida pleads. 3
"Not my people, not my problem," Horizon says. "All that matters is my contract with Nezu, and I'm not fucking it up for anything, especially for some revenge crap, leave me out of it." 1
Iida just sits there for a moment, then eventually agrees. "You're right, this is my fight, not yours. I'm the one who inherited his Ingenium name, I should be the one to avenge him, to prove that I'm worthy, for Tensei." 5
"Whatever, just leave me out of it, and if anyone asks I didn't know anything," Horizon says in a serious tone. "Because I promise if you tell anyone about this conversation, they'll never find any of your pieces…" 12
A single bead of sweat rolls down Iida's face as he nods stiffly. And a moment later the bell rings as everyone begins flooding back into class… 7
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 67: CHAPTER 063(Life As Horizon)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in UA's cafeteria Horizon is at a corner table. At the end of one row, five seats on each side, he's beside the large glass wall separating them from the pelting rain that's still pouring outside. 1
The cafeteria was bustling with excitement as everyone gets lunch, unable to go outside to eat, the building was even more full than usual.
Many people notice Horizon sitting alone at a table that seats ten people but wisely decide not to approach him, either understanding that he was waiting for his classmates, or simply not bold enough to interact with him.
At the moment he was staring outside at the rain, sitting in peaceful silence, ignoring the table two rows away filled with girls that were not-so-subtly staring and giggling at him.
What they could never realize was the little game he was playing to pass the time.
UA's entire main building was currently within a ROOM, 500 meters wide. And Horizon was straining his mind, focused and locked onto one single raindrop.
Even among the pelting rain and harsh winds, he focuses on the single raindrop, constantly maintaining SCAN on it, and every time it's about to hit the floor.
SHAMBLES! 3
It swaps with another at the top of the room. 3
Exercises like these were by far the most difficult and exhausting, focusing on something so small for that long.
Like visually trying to track one needly in a wave of identical needles as they all fall from the sky. 1
After five minutes of this, he can feel himself getting slightly tired, his brain demanding more and more energy by the second. Beneath his visor his eyes were closed, forehead wrinkled as he ignored the sudden grumbling of his stomach, pushing his stamina limit again and again.
"Enjoying the rain?" Momo's gentle voice snaps him out of his trance.
He immediately deactivates his Quirk and turns his attention to the mob of his classmates. 1
With Horizon to the far right of the table as they all take their seats, food and trays in hand.
Sero sits to his left, with Tokoyami, Shoji, and Ojiro beside them.
Opposite him is Momo, Jirou beside her, followed by Aoyama and Koda.
'I guess if tail boy and frenchie are this close to me there must not be any seats left…whatever,' Horizon doesn't pay much mind to it. 2
"Thanks for saving us a table man, this place is packed," Sero says before he starts eating, only to notice that Horizon didn't have anything in front of him. "Uh…you gonna eat anything?"
"Yeah I've got it," Horizon pulls out one of his meal bars, a plain white candy bar item with his logo in blue on the front.
"You have your own candy bar?" Momo asks, raising a brow at the item.
"Not a candy bar, a meal bar," Horizon sighs. "I've had a weird journey with food over the past year…and now this is where I'm at."
The entire table cranes forward as he raises his hand and flicks his fingers upward, the bottom of his visor reveals the previously invisible seam and slides up, just barely enough to reveal his mouth as he eats what looks like a regular granola bar made of four blocks.
"That's not what I was expecting," Jiro mutters aloud. "Your mouth is all…normal…"
"What did you expect?" 1
"Like, maybe no face at all?" 6
"Same here," Sero says.
"Well sorry to disappoint but…I'm pretty good-looking, not that you'd even see it." 1
Momo swallows a bit of rice and gives Horizon's meal bar a curious look, "is that perhaps needed to fuel your Quirk? Much in the same way I need to eat a lot of fats for mine."
"Uh, not really, but kinda."
"How does it fit into this great 'food journey' from earlier?" Tokoyami asks. 3
Horizon takes another bite, eating the third block of his meal bar before speaking.
"Well, about a year ago when I lost my parents I met Nezu after that," the casual manner in which he mentions such events startles everyone just a bit. "He gave me an offer to join UA and helped me setup my business…suddenly I've got all the money in the world, buying everything I could want and eating my favourite foods for every meal, made by pro chefs…But after a month I was sick of it." 1
"But that sounds incredible," Aoyama says. "A truly luxurious life, truly Magnifique." 1
Horizon pauses, then looks at Aoyama, and speaks in perfect French, "so are you actually French or just playing it up for attention?" 18
The entire table freezes, and Aoyama has no idea what Horizon just said. 1
"Figured as much," he finishes his meal bar and returns to his story. "So anyway I realized that half the fun for me was actually cooking. Like since I was four my dad and I cooked almost every meal together, my mom would have to travel a lot for work so it was just us most of the time, it was kind of our thing…well that and operating on people. 3
I was missing that, so instead of hiring a chef I'd just buy property wherever I'm traveling to, have it stocked when I get there, and take it easy with cooking. This was all good until USJ."
"The villains ruined your diet?" Jiro asks skeptically.
"Pretty much. After dealing with the USJ Nomu I realized that my Quirk is really strong, but eventually I'll come face to face with a problem that I don't have an answer to, it's an eventuality in a world of superpowers, even for me."
"So eating helps you prepare?" Sero asks.
"I'm trying to bulk up," Horizon says. "I'm stacking lean muscle, trying to go from 190lbs to maybe 260lbs. But I already had to eat a lot before I was bulking, so preparing that much food got exhausting. Two days in and I was just throwing everything into a blender and drinking it, eight meals a day…I hated it."
"Yeah that sounds like hell," Jiro says. "So how do the meal bars help?"
"Well each block is 2000 calories, and each bar has four blocks."
"So you just ate 8000 calories?" Momo looks horrified at the idea, especially seeing as how Horizon did it so easily.
"Yup, I eat one or two of those a day, maybe more depending on how hard I trained that day. I only got them yesterday from Detnerat so it's new, but I like em."
"Won't you get fat?" Ojiro asks, "or does your Quirk burn it all away?"
"Well that part is a bit complicated but…remember when Monoma copied my Quirk?"
"You mean when you almost killed him?" Sero asks.
"That wasn't Horizon's fault," Momo says, "he didn't know that would happen, right?"
"Well, kinda," Horizon says.
"And you still let him do it?!" Jiro yells. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" 2
"Relax, it's not that big a deal, it's just how my Quirk works. It's like this, to control the world around you, you have to understand the world, and before you can do any of that, you have to understand and control yourself." 2
"Uh… you lost me," Shoji says. 1
"Ok so imagine you could control everything that happens in your body. If you will it you could spike your testosterone to help build muscle mass and bone density, you could control other hormones and muscle enzyme production, you could will your heart to stop or arteries to squeeze shut… you can even tell your body how much of each nutrient to absorb from the food you eat."
"Perfect control of your own bodily functions," Momo mutters, half horrified and half amazed. "Your Quirk allows that?"
"Can't control the world if you can't control yourself. When Monoma got flooded with information it wasn't about the world around him, it was about his body. He got hit with a map of every cell in his body and all the chemical processes that were currently happening or that are possible, his brain was overloaded, and since he had perfect control of his body he instinctively gave his brain permission to rip energy away from everything else and inspire rapid growth to compensate."
"So he really was killing himself with your Quirk?" Jiro asks.
"Yup, it lets you bypass the built-in safety features that most Quirks have. Like how Sero can't die from making too much Tape, if his Quirk was more like mine he would be able to bypass that biological failsafe and just die if he wanted," Horizon shrugs.
Momo snaps her finger, realizing where he was going with this. "So your Quirk consumes more calories for brain function than other people, that's why you can eat this absurd amount." 1
"Bingo, smart girl," Horizon says, causing her to blush slightly. "Average person commits 20% of their calories to brain power, I'm more like 70% if I spend all day training. And even when I'm sitting in class I'm usually doing something to train my Quirk, because I'm training my Quirk and body I have to eat an absurd amount to support both. That's the downside of having a big brain, takes a lot of energy." 5
The table is silent as everyone processes what he just said, coming to the same realization. 'So when he's just sitting bored in class…he's actually training his Quirk, that's insane…'
"So what's in the meal bar?" Shoji asks.
"Well, it's a unique blend of everything I need, super compressed down and made to dissolve Quickly in my stomach. If a regular person ate one it wouldn't end well."
"How bad is it?" Sero asks.
"Well…if someone tiny like Jiro ate a block she'd sleep for a day, if she ate an entire bar her hormonal system would go crazy and she'd go catatonic and have serious liver and kidney failure within a few hours."
"So basically its poison for anyone that can't command their body to process specific components," Tokoyami says. "Is there at least a warning on the label? And I'm surprised you'd reveal a vulnerability such as this to us…"
"Well first of all, I don't think 'Horizon needs food to make energy and survive,' would be anything groundbreaking, it's not like going a day or two without food would kill me…but I'd be really cranky."
"I see, likewise," Tokoyami agrees.
"As for the warning label…why would I need that? My logo is on it, if you eat food that isn't yours then die that's not my fault," Horizon shrugs. 5
"Tch," Jiro shakes her head in disappointment, "do you sometimes forget that you're training to be a Pro Hero?" 3
Horizon chuckles, "it's adorable that you still think being a Pro Hero needs you to be a good person, " Jiro blushes at that but keeps glaring at him. "It's just a job Jiro, once I get the results people want they won't care about anything else. You people really think too highly of this hero-villain nonsense." 1
Feeling Jiro about to lean forward and start a heated argument with Horizon, Momo rests a hand on the girl's lap and interrupts her, "so how has your weight gaining been progressing?"
"Very quickly," Horizon says. "Normally it would take years to gain 70lbs, I've been gaining about 6 each week, already up 18lbs…that puts me at 208lbs."
"That's so unfair," Sero groans.
"Hahaha, well…I control hormone and enzyme production, among other things, stacking weight is easy. But I'll still have to eat a lot to maintain it sadly…but hey, the girls are gonna love it even more."
"You mean the fan club?" Jiro points to the table two rows away with her Earphone Jack, filled with 1st-year girls stealing glances at Horizon. He decides to play along and give them a friendly wave causing Jiro to just frown and roll her eyes.
"Man you're so lucky," Sero grumbles. "I posted that selfie we took and the only comments I get are girls asking about you…" 6
"Well you know what to do, hit the gym, train, study, and be direct in telling girls what you want. It's literally that easy. Just be a strong dependable guy that gets to the point, you'd be surprised how well they respond to that." 6
"You make it sound so easy."
"Because it is," Horizon shrugs. "Look at it this way, you're gonna be a famous Pro Hero, money, fame, women, all that stuff. If she says no then just move on to the next one, don't dwell on it, and don't chase her, there are millions of beautiful women in Japan…hell, I haven't seen one bad-looking girl at UA alone…at least not yet. But there is only one you…" 7
"But some girls play hard to get, right?" Momo asks Jiro. "I've never really had friends before so…that is something girls do right?"
"Uh yeah some did that in my middle school," Jiro says, playing with her Earphone Jacks nervously. "Aren't guys supposed to like that?" 1
"Idiots yeah," Horizon says. "If a girl is playing silly games like that then she doesn't respect your time and isn't worth it, no matter how hot she is, just find another one." 7
"That seems a bit harsh," Tokoyami says.
"I just don't like my time being wasted," Horizon shrugs. 2
"So you ever gonna ask any of them out?" Sero asks, glancing over at Horizon's fan club.
"Nope," Horizon says. "The last thing I need is a serious relationship right now, I've already got a lot to deal with. Casual stuff is fine but the problem with that as Horizon is…" he raises a hand to tap his visor, and everyone immediately understands.
"Oh yeah, how would that even work?" Shoji asks.
"Well probably just shut all the lights off and go by feel, or use a blindfold," Horizon shrugs.
"Won't taking it off kill you?" Momo asks. "It is a Lifestyle Support item is it not?"
"Taking it off long enough for us to have some fun won't kill me Momo," she immediately starts blushing and hiding her face which causes him to laugh. "Honestly you two girls are way too easy to fluster…or maybe you're normal teens and I'm just not bothered by this stuff, you know, cuz I'm a doctor. But hey at least it's cute on you two." 7
Jiro just stares down at her lap and grumbles something under her breath, luckily Horizon doesn't have super-hearing and was already chatting with Sero as the table devolves into the usual cafeteria noise. 1
But Momo hears the, 'why do I have to like such a jerk…' leave Jiro's lips…and she silently agrees, coming to the same conclusion. 31
All while Aoyama was quietly taking in the entire conversation, taking note of all the little things Horizon revealed that he'd report to All For One… 33
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 68: CHAPTER 064(Hero Names) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in class with everyone else Horizon sees Eraser Head trudge in, sleeping bag slung over his shoulder.
'God I hope we don't have hero training in the rain,' he thinks, hoping that even if they have combat training this afternoon it will at least be inside.
"Today you'll be picking hero names," Eraser says, and the entire class goes wild. "Settle down!"
Everyone sits quietly as he continues.
"Since we're opening internships to first years because of all the increased villain activity, you'll need Hero Names to operate in the field. They don't become permanent until you get a Provisional License and complete the three-year trial period to become an official Pro Hero, you've got until then to think of your final one. But some of you will likely get famous enough that you won't be able to just swap it, so make these temporary ones good enough to be the real deal in case that happens."
'I wonder what these people are gonna choose,' Horizon glances about the room, already having thought up some cool names for his classmates, but their names aren't his problem. 6
"Anyway, Midnight will be handling this, it's not really my specialty," Eraser sits in the corner in his sleeping bag and begins nodding off as Midnight enters. 3
Half the boys in class are immediately entranced by her skin-tight and provocative outfit, but Horizon just rolls his eyes at her grandiose speech.
"–now for an example," Midnight eventually says. "The best Hero Names tell a story of who you are, so how about we have Horizon come up and explain his since it is already decided."
The entire class turns to him, but only a few hadn't figured this out already.
"Alright, but I'm only doing this once…" Horizon says as he walks to the board, writing his full Hero Name and title.
'Horizon: The Miracle.' 4
Notably 'Horizon' was in English while the rest was Japanese. he then turns to the class to explain.
"So… usually the title, in my case 'The Miracle,' would be at the front and some stupid corny shit like 'The miracle hero' or something like that. I changed it to the back and made it shorter as a show of finality and to make it all sleeker. 'The Miracle' is descriptive, because I do perform what would otherwise be miracles. And 'Horizon' is always in English instead of Japanese, because I want the meaning of 'the limit of a person's knowledge and experience,' rather than the sunset over the edge of the world stuff… 1
Oh, and another reason I took it is that compared to everyone else that's how far ahead I am…but Nezu prefers the idea that when people see me on the Horizon they know everything will be ok. But just between us, my logo is on my back for a reason. 9
So yeah everything from my name, to the visor, to my Hero Costume and weapon, all are designed to give a sense of efficiency and superiority…and it's been working…"
He silently walks back to his seat and leans back in his chair.
"Uh…right," Midnight awkwardly coughs to get all eyes back on her. "Well there you have it, a well-thought-out Hero Name and image, so think very carefully about how you want people to look at you in the future when deciding your names." 8
The entire room suddenly feels a lot more pressure on them, realizing that they'd hardly given any thought to their image as a hero, now wracking their brains to think of something good.
"Alright, who wants to go next?" Midnight asks ten minutes later…
After the final name is revealed Horizon just shakes his head as he recalls what they'd all be called.
'Shining Hero: Can't Stop Twinkling, actually retarded. 8
Pinky, sounds like a character from a children's book, made for very slow babies. 8
Rainy Season Hero: Froppy, cute, and simple like her. 11
Uravity, from the same book as Pinky. 3
Martial Arts Hero: Tailman, at least its better than Tail Boy, guess he doesn't have much to work with anyway. 5
Stun Gun Hero: Chargebolt, that's actually a good one. 1
Sturdy Hero: Red Riot, fanboy nonsense. 3
Petting Hero: Anima, also from the same children's book, but sounds like it shouldn't be allowed near children. 5
Sweets Hero: Sugarman, from that same children's book…what is wrong with these morons.
Tentacle Hero: Tentacole, not awful, guess he doesn't have much to work with. 8
Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack, the music girl is the least creative in class, that's surprising, pretty lame name. 1
Taping Hero: Cellophane, not bad Sero. 4
Jet-Black Hero: Tsukuyomi, ok that's cool. 8
Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl, descriptive, can't be mad at that. 7
Deku, also descriptive, guess this will eventually become 'cripple boy'. 14
Everything Hero: Creati…what a fucking disappointment, guess she's in the same book for slow children. 6
And Bakugo, Shoto, and Iida are all undecided or using their first names…' 6
As Midnight leaves to go file the names Eraser returns to the front of the class and taps the board once.
"Alright, these are the offers you each received from the sports festival, you've got until Friday afternoon to decide who you'll be interning with and submit the forms. Even those who didn't get offers will be interning with someone, you'll have a list of forty agencies to choose from."
He steps to the side for everyone to get a good look at the board.
Horizon-8452 5
Bakugo-4132
Todoroki-3476
Tokoyami-623
Iida-187
Kirishima-92
Momo-48
Sero-27 1
Nobody is surprised at how many offers Horizon got, they expected that every agency in the country would want the only Warping hero in the world working for them. Seeing him at the top of every list was a common occurrence by now. 2
"Think very carefully about who you choose," Eraser says while passing out the forms, placing a massive stack on Horizon's desk. "Consider what type of hero you want to be, what aspects of it you want to focus on. If you want to focus on rescues then maybe you should pick an agency that matches that. You should also consider location and local crime rates depending on how much action you want.
If these pros take a liking to you they could keep investing in you and sign you as a sidekick when you go Pro, and if you don't act properly you could quickly become someone that Pros will avoid working with. So mind your manners.
The internship will last one week and you'll be staying with the pro until it's over, so also be aware of that when you're preparing."
Looking at the stack of paper Horizon's eyes are immediately glued to the name at the top of the very first page.
'Endeavor actually sent me a request…what the hell,' he sits back and stares at it. 'This is literally the perfect choice.
But considering my relationship with Shoto it's probably not the best idea to go there and get involved in that bullshit.
But it's not like he can hurt me since he's the #2 Pro Hero in Japan, and maybe he just wants to know why I kicked in Shoto's teeth.
And if needed I've got dirt on him because his idiot son put his family business out there, that way I at least know he can't do anything to make me look bad as some stupid revenge.' 3
Horizon flips the first two pages, since the agencies and heroes are ordered by ranking he only checked the top ten, not seeing Mirko.
'Guess my golden ticket to actually fight villains didn't send an offer. The one time I actually want one of those stupid fucking meatheads around…and at least Hawks was smart enough not to send me an offer, whatever, Endeavor it is,' he immediately begins filling out his form. 9
As Eraser leaves the room people begin discussing their options, and Tokoyami turns to Horizon. "You're already filling out the form?"
"Yeah, have you decided yet?"
"I received an offer from Hawks," Tokoyami says. "I hadn't expected to be noticed by someone so capable. Or for any pro to tolerate the darkness dwelling within me…" 6
Everyone around immediately launches a barrage of questions at Tokoyami, jealous and excited at the idea of their classmate working with the #3 Pro Hero.
"What about you?" Tokoyami asks Horizon, and all eyes turn to him.
"Oh, Endeavor sent me a request," Horizon shrugs, and the entire class falls silent, nervously glancing between Shoto and Horizon.
"My father sent you a request?" Shoto growls out, obvious anger on his face.
Horizon slowly swivels around in his chair to look back at him, "don't take it too seriously, probably wants to know why I had to put you in your place, then he'll just put me on desk duty while you two run around the city. I just need my record to show that I worked with him, that'll open a lot of options for me in the future…not that I need the boost, but better safe than sorry."
Everyone just silently watches the interaction, as Shoto looked up at Horizon his face went from anger to slightly fearful, and he immediately looked down at his desk.
"Oh c'mon," Horizon groans loudly. "No need to act like a pussy around me, I barely even touched you in that fight, get over it. So long as you watch your mouth you don't have anything to worry about…" he turns back to his desk to fill out the form. 11
After a few minutes, he gets a notification on the inside of his visor.
'Nezu: My office after school.'
'Oh great, it's gonna be one of those days…' 5
END CHAPTER–
C'mon, did you really think I was ever going to have Law work with Mirko…the horny doesn't control this story :) 34
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Chapter 69: CHAPTER 065(Awakening Thesis) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in Nezu's office, in Nezu's chair, Horizon has his back to the door as he stares out the window.
Playing the same training game he's been at all day, constantly moving the same raindrop from one inch above the floor to the top of his room, quickly exhausting himself through focus and Quirk use.
Hearing the door open behind him he closes his room and spins around to face Nezu and Yagi, with Nezu holding a small gift bag in his arms. 1
"You look good in that seat," Nezu says as he and Yagi move to sit on one couch.
"I look good in any position of power," Horizon gets up and moves to sit opposite them. "But if I wanted to work hard all my life without going anywhere, then sure I'd be a teacher…" 6
"Ouch," Yagi says.
Nezu just sighs, "it's been all of 5 seconds and you're already insulting us." 6
"So what'd you need to talk to me about?" Horizon asks. "I've already given Eraser my paperwork."
"I saw, he's already filed it, Endeavor…are you sure that won't be a problem since, well, the sports festival."
"I'll handle it," Horizon says. "So, what's up?"
Nezu quietly starts making tea for the three of them as Yagi speaks to Horizon.
"Do you recall the first time we sat here, when you gave a breakdown of what young Midoriya was doing wrong with his Quirk?" Yagi asks.
"Yeah, what about it? I already told Nezu I'm not here to teach, especially not that loser."
"I see," Yagi taps his chin and leans back, considering his options, eventually deciding to take the direct approach. By this point, he clearly understands that Horizon doesn't like his time wasted. "What would it take for you to help him."
"Eh, double my bank account?" Horizon shrugs.
Yagi considers it, then turns to Nezu.
"You can't afford that," Nezu says plainly. "And I'm not spending the worth of a small country for this." 3
"Two small countries," Horizon says with a chuckle.
"Is there anything that could change your mind?" Yagi asks plainly.
"Why do you care so much about him?"
"Well, he's one of my precious students. With the internships starting Sunday it's possible that something could happen where he'd have to act, right now if he does that he'll probably die."
Horizon leans back and nods, taking in the answer. "Ok, so that's half the reason, what's the other half?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you told me the problem, you didn't tell me why you care so much about Deku," Horizon points out.
Nezu just shakes his head before sipping his tea. Clearly amused by how hyper-aware Yagi was that he was currently walking a minefield.
"Well…" Yagi awkwardly rubs the back of his head, trying to find the words. "I've taken an interest in him. I actually first saw him a year ago, I saw him stand up to a villain even knowing that he couldn't use his Quirk. He ran in and tried to help, and probably would have died if I didn't show up, but he tried when others were standing around doing nothing…I can't help but want to nurture someone with such a strong heroic spirit. Seeing him on the first day at UA…it felt like destiny telling me I had to teach him to be a great hero." 1
Nezu was genuinely impressed with the lie. Littering the tale with truths kept Yagi's emotions at the surface, had this been anyone else they would have easily accepted this truth, but Horizon isn't just anyone… 2
"Close," Horizon says. "But you're still holding something back, so the full truth, or I'm gonna lean forward and polygraph you. Because if something didn't change you would have asked me to do this sooner."
"Gran Torino sent Midoriya an internship offer," Nezu says bluntly which causes Yagi to sputter and panic.
"Who the hell is Gran Torino?"
"He was Yagi's teacher, he only spent one year at UA, and was close with Yagi's mentor…so he's kind of like Yagi's uncle I suppose," Nezu says.
"Oh, so Yagi told him about Deku…now he wants to meet Deku…but Yagi is scared that Torino will be disappointed by his non-existent teaching ability, right?" 3
Yagi feels an arrow to the heart.
"Exactly," Nezu says. 5
Another arrow to the heart. 4
"So can't teach and he's a pussy…damn meathead," Horizon grumbles.
"Mhm," Nezu takes another sip of his tea, and by this point, Yagi is slumped forward on the couch. 5
"Still not enough of a reason for me to care about teaching Deku anything."
"What if it helps your reputation?" Nezu asks.
"I'm not going for the 'golden-hearted hero' reputation, so I'll pass."
"What about as a genius Quirk specialist," Nezu says, knowing exactly what buttons to press to get Horizon to play along. "The world doesn't actually have many of those since humanity has mostly just accepted Quirks and doesn't bother looking deeper…but you have a theory or two that could put you on that short list."
"My Quirk Mastery theory, you want me to publish it through UA?" Horizon asks.
"It would push your imagine that much further," Nezu says. 1
"Hmm," Horizon leans back and considers it while Nezu takes a box out of the bag he brought. A brand new chess set. As he's setting up Horizon just leans forward and picks up the small rulebook included. "Never actually played before…"
"I've always wanted to play you in chess," Nezu says with a smirk. 5
Yagi just sits back and drinks his tea, watching Nezu prepare the board while Horizon learns the rules, and a minute later Horizon puts down the book and gestures to the board.
Nezu moves one pawn forward.
"Have you, decided on your answer?" Nezu asks.
Horizon moves his piece, "I need real publicity."
Nezu makes a move, "what do you mean?" And between each sentence, they'd make a move, their own little chess timer.
"I need witnesses, publishing the thesis isn't enough, I need people to see me in action breaking down his Quirk."
"We can't do that," Nezu says. "But I will second your thesis under my name, and use my connections to help get it passed around in the scientific community."
"That'll work, what about Hero Network access?" Horizon asks.
"Giving you access to that is treason."
"For anyone else, yeah, but you're Nezu. And I need access if I'm gonna be doing solo work during summer." 1
"Hmm," Nezu pauses, breaking the momentum of the game to consider his next move. Then he just sits back on the couch, done with the game. "If I'm agreeing to these terms then this needs to be a full class instead of a 1-on-1 session with Midoriya." 10
"Quirk Mastery 101…fine, but they get the basic rundown then I help him," Horizon says.
"I won't be giving you access until you get the Provisional Hero License."
"Not like I'd need it before that," Horizon shrugs. "Quirk use is illegal in public, and I'm not really the type to go meddling in other people's lives."
"But a hero's job is to meddle," Yagi blurts out.
Horizon pauses, then slowly turns his head toward Yagi. "Oh…that explains a lot. Deku learned that shit from you, then he taught it to Todoroki…then I kicked in Todoroki's teeth because of it, good job, All Might." 7
"Huh, that's why you–"
"Nezu," Horizon cuts off Yagi. "We have a deal? I teach one class, you publish and push my thesis to get me some spotlight, and I get Hero Network access when I get the license." 6
"Deal, have the thesis written and sent to me later tonight," Nezu says. "Have a good night Horizon."
"Yeah, you too."
"Have a pleasant evening," Yagi says.
"Don't ever tell me what to do," Horizon immediately warps away, swapping with the card he left in his apartment in the city before it warps back to him. 9
Yagi just sighs and downs the rest of his tea, "he hates me."
"You're being dramatic, he doesn't hate you, he just doesn't respect anything about you," Nezu says plainly. 18
"How is that supposed to make me feel better?" 1
"I was only correcting you, anyway now you don't have to worry so much about Midoriya, Horizon will take care of it. But you should tell Midoriya to try and avoid contact with Horizon." 7
"I'll be sure to do that, I can't believe he figured it out when neither of us could, even you."
"Well, Quirk application and development isn't something I'm good at, at least not for battle Quirks. My brain is hardwired for algorithms and logistics after all, at that, I'm far beyond everyone, even him," Nezu says.
"And you're also the only person that can properly negotiate with Horizon, or maybe it's just because it's me, well?"
"A mix of both," Nezu says. "I'm the only person he's ever truly lost to, and we have a certain understanding. Thankfully he is a professional about it, so we get along just fine." 1
"I suppose that makes sense, but didn't that deal seem a bit one-sided, you gave him a lot, all things considered. I honestly feel kinda bad now."
"Any improvement to his public image is a step closer to him embracing the role of a true hero, and becoming our next Symbol Of Peace," Nezu proudly says. "Getting him to help Midoriya was honestly more of a bonus for me."
"I see, but you realize that if young Midoriya master One For All, he could very well overcome Horizon and be the next me. You've essentially helped the competition by doing this," Yagi says. 10
Nezu hops down from the couch and begins cleaning up the teacups, "well he is one of my students so it is my duty to do anything I can to help him. But I doubt this will truly matter that much."
"You're really that confident in him huh…"
"Well he's Horizon, there really isn't any competition, but I'm sure Midoriya will still become a great and powerful hero in his own right," Nezu says with a small chuckle. 9
"Well we'll just have to see what the future has in store for our students," Yagi says as Nezu begins clearing the chessboard and packing it away. "How come you didn't finish the game?"
"Oh we did, he would have won within the next seven moves." 9
Yagi's eyes open in absolute shock at that, "I thought you said you were the smartest on the planet earlier? And didn't he just learn to play from the book?"
"I am, but his ability to intuitively understand things, especially regarding Quirks and combat is second to none, the only person who comes close…at least from my former students, would be–" 4
"Endeavor," Yagi says. "Guess they're pretty similar in that regard, and neither of them like me…" 8
"Well Endeavor is overly competitive," Nezu says. "But at least for Horizon you know he just doesn't like you as a person."
Yagi groans, "thanks a lot…just what I needed to hear."
Nezu packs up the gameboard and turns to move to his desk, but he pauses, just staring at his desk and chair, a mischievous grin on his face.
Yagi raises a brow and asks quietly, "what are you smiling at?"
"I was just thinking, he really did look good in that chair…" 26
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 70: CHAPTER 066(Horizon Sensei) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the cafeteria Horizon was at a quiet table with Sero, Jiro, Momo, and Sato. While they were all enjoying their food he had already eaten his meal bar and was just scrolling through his 'Yay!' profile. 1
"Kamui Woods, that's pretty cool," Jiro says to Sero. "He's new but pretty popular, and he works just one train stop away from here."
"Yeah, honestly I didn't even know who he was until I saw he sent me an offer," Sero chuckles in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck. "I looked at some of his videos online, his Quirk gives him wooden limbs that he can grow to swing around and restrain people, basically like a different version of my Quirk."
"That's so lucky," Jiro says. "I'm honestly a bit jealous, sound-based Quirks aren't that rare but heroes with them are. My options would basically be Mic or Gang Orca, but teachers can't use us as interns and Gang Orca didn't send a request."
"Not surprising," Horizon says without looking up from his phone. "You didn't even get past the cavalry game, everyone probably just thinks you have long earlobes since they never saw you use sonic attacks."
Jiro frowns and glares at him, "you say that like you aren't the one who eliminated my team…not that I blame you or anything since it was a competition."
"It doesn't matter how you feel. You lost your headband because you gathered a weak combination of Quirks for your team. Then you attacked someone you knew you had no business fighting out of desperation, so you got punished. If you aren't smart enough to put on a show for the pros then none of them are gonna care about you. Should have at least used your Quirk to shatter the ground or something so they know you aren't just hitting people with your ears."
Jiro just frowns and looks down at her food, while Horizon is still casually on his phone. "Right, well I'm gonna be over in Aldera with Death Arms, maybe we'll see each other during the week Sero."
"A team up, that'd be cool," Sero gives her a thumbs up.
"That's actually who I was gonna work with too," Sato says. "But I think I'll apply at someone else, I just don't think Death Arms can teach me what I want."
"What exactly is it that you want?" Momo asks.
"Well, I've been thinking. Maybe I should learn some more technical fighting, like I've been wrestling since middle school but if I'm gonna be a pro I should know something like Karate right? So I'm looking for a martial arts hero, maybe I'll ask Ojiro where he's going and apply with him."
"Bad idea," Horizon says. "That's a complete waste of time. Stick with Death Arms, or maybe someone like…I dunno some other meathead brawler."
Momo gives him a strange look, "but aren't you always saying people should avoid being 'meatheads'?"
"Yeah, I figured if I learned a martial art it'd help me out a lot, like maybe from Gun Head."
"Nope, waste of time," Horizon says. "Villain fights aren't in a ring, or fighting for points, think of it as to the death, no rules. If you try something super technical like Karate it could work, or one of the movements could leave an opening for you to get stabbed. If you try wrestling you'd be able to pin lots of villains, but then their friend stomps on your head." 6
"Ouch," Sato rubs his head. "Ok, so what should I do."
"Boxing, kickboxing, maybe some Brazilian jiu-jitsu. The goal in a streetfight is to keep your guard up, stay on your feet in case you get jumped, and never take your eyes off the enemy. You do those simple things and you're better than most. Trying fancy shit looks cool and can work…if you're a lot better or stronger. Keep it simple and it's much more reliable. Jiu Jutsu is like wrestling with actual finishers, boxing and kickboxing are endurance, balance, and striking, you'll learn them a lot faster than karate or anything like that."
Sato falls deep into thought as he quietly considers his options.
"But don't you know multiple fighting styles?" Momo asks Horizon.
"Yeah, and they took me 11 years of non-stop training to master, you've got 3 years and you also have to train your Quirk, learn academics, and how to operate as a Pro Hero. Keep it simple and efficient. I don't even need the fancy shit 99% of the time."
"Damn," Sero says, with a dramatic whistle. "No wonder Bakugo couldn't hit you…totally not fair."
"I get that a lot," Horizon sees a message from Nezu pop up, asking him to come to his office. "So what about you Momo?" Horizon says while getting up. 1
"Oh, I've already requested my internship be with Uwabami," Momo says proudly, clear excitement in her voice as she gives him a dazzling smile.
"Oh," he sounds almost disappointed, but mostly surprised. "I didn't think you were trying to be one of those heroes…"
"Huh, what do you mean?" Momo asks. 4
"It's nothing important, none of my business anyway," Horizon warps one of his cards into his hand and places it on the table in front of Momo. "I need to go see Nezu, do me a favor and keep this on you in case our talk runs a bit too long…"
He immediately warps away, leaving them all staring at the metal card with his logo on it.
Twenty minutes later Momo is walking at the head of her class, everyone now changed into their Hero Costumes.
While making their way to training ground Beta, she idly stares at the metal card in her hand, intensely studying it. 5
"Sooo," Mina speaks up, leaning forward a bit to get a look at the card. "Can it do anything cool?"
Momo narrows her eyes at it and shakes her head. "It appears to just be a carbon-metal alloy, the edges are sharp but I doubt he intends to use them like weapons. But it does have his logo on both sides."
"Maybe he needs his logo on it to warp around with it," Mina says.
Behind them Iida speaks up, "but he warps with other random objects and people as well. I think his quirk is less restrictive than needed a marking of some kind."
"Maybe it lets him see us," Mina suggests.
"What do you mean?" Momo asks.
"Like he gave it to you so he could see into the locker room while we changed." 1
Momo and Jiro blush furiously at that before Jiro speaks up. "I don't think Horizon is the type of person to do something lame like that."
"Yeah," Tsu agrees. "Besides can't he just see through the walls?"
"He can do that?!" Mina asks. 1
"Well I don't know, but it would explain how he can see where he's warping, right?" Tsu says.
"His quirk is so weird," Mina sighs. "Maybe it's actually part of his Quirk or something? I mean who knows what weird things he can make…" 2
"Well, you could just ask him," Jiro suggests.
Mina chuckles nervously at that, "uh…I'd rather not get into a discussion about Quirks with him…he can be a bit much sometimes and my Acid isn't really impressive." Mina's eyes shift over to Momo, she gives her class Vice Rep a pleading smile, "but you could ask him Momo." 7
"Hmm," Momo gets a bit nervous at the thought, but she remembers Horizon hasn't been mean when they discuss his Quirk. She nods, determined to get to the bottom of this, "alright, I'll ask him when we see him. I'm sure it's simply too complex for us to understand, his Quirk is Mystery Class after all, by definition it's beyond human comprehension." 2
A few moments later they round the final corner and enter the tunnel to training ground Beta, only to get confused by the assembled crowd.
Eraser Head was standing off to the side with Vlad King -class 1B's homeroom teacher. Also joining them were Midnight, Ectoplasm, and Snipe. And in the middle of the road in this city-styled training ground was all of class 1B. Everyone was in full Hero Costume.
The teachers just glance at 1A and turn back to their conversation, but Kendo takes the initiative as Class Rep to walk over.
"Hey 1A, nice costumes!"
"Likewise," Momo says as everyone just stands around confused. "What's going on, is this a joint training class?"
"Huh, your teacher didn't tell you?" Kendo ask. "Apparently Principal Nezu asked Horizon to teach us something today," she shrugs.
Most of 1A wince at that idea, and some begin sweating nervously. 6
'Maybe if I stand at the back he won't see me,' Deku thinks as he begins taking careful steps to the back of the crowd. 5
Kendo notices their reaction and tilts her head to the side, completely confused. "What's wrong?" 1
"Uh, it's just that, well, Horizon has very high standards for everyone around him, and he can be a very…honest, person," Momo says. 3
"What?"
"Tch," Jiro rolls her eyes. "What she really means is that mister miracle thinks anyone who isn't at least near perfect is garbage and he's a complete ass about it." 1
Kendo's eyes shoot open in surprise as her classmates begin walking over and introducing themselves. "Really? He was always so cool around us, I never would have guessed."
"Well the asshole in him only comes out when people challenge him, disappoint him, or if he thinks they're wrong…so we have to deal with it a lot," Jiro growls out. "Because mister 'I'm perfect' always finds something wrong with us…" 5
"It can't be that bad," Juzo joins their little chat, wearing his full costume with his face blocked by the visor, similar to Horizon and Ectoplasm.
"It is," Jiro says. "Just try not to get noticed by him."
"I think it's actually good for us," Momo admits, surprising her classmates. She sees their nervous looks and corrects herself. "What I mean is, whilst I'm sure he could be nicer, and kinder, and more pleasant. His harsh words push us to prove him wrong by improving… it's like he's worried about us in his own sort of loving way…" 7
Kendo sees the blush on Momo's face and immediately realizes what's going on, 'oh…she's in denial. Well, he's pretty cool at least so I kinda get it, but he just sounds like a jerk to me.'
"Being a bully doesn't help anyone," Jiro argues. "He's just an ass sometimes but gets away with it because he's Nezu's favorite. He can't just go around tearing people down like that, think about their mental health." 5
"Oh, then you should talk to him about it," Juzo recommends. 2
"Uhh…" Jiro sputters and begins playing with her earlobe nervously, looking at the floor between them. "Well…I mean… it's not that simple. Like it's Horizon, he's kinda a lot you know."
Kendo raises a brow, looking at Jiro's reaction at the thought of confronting him, seeing right through what most would think is fear of him, but what is more likely a fear of disappointing him.
Looking between Jiro and Momo she just shakes her head, 'maybe his Quirk is pheromones or something, he can't be that bad if he's got both of them acting like this…' 13
"Huh!" Momo gasps in surprise as Horizon's card flies out of her hand and floats roughly two meters away from them, hovering in the air.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps with the card, appearing in full Hero Costume, sword at his side, with Nezu sitting on his shoulder tapping away on a tablet. 2
"That really is convenient," Nezu mutters, still tapping away. "Much better than using my adorable tiny legs." 7
Horizon ignores him and just looks around at everyone, seeing both classes mingling, and already seeing Deku trying to avoid his gaze, standing at the other side of Iida. 3
Off to the side he sees Sero and Kodai talking, well, Sero is talking, Kodai is just nodding along with a blank expression. 4
'Really? Took him all of five minutes to find the hottest girl in their class, nice work Sero.' 7
"Alright, everyone shut up!" Horizon yells out, slicing the crowd. "Welcome to Quirk Mastery 101, a one-time-only class where I explain exactly how to get the absolute most out of your Quirk…" 4
He sees almost everyone in his class smile widely at that, as if a golden ticket to being a top pro fell into their lap, because that's exactly what him teaching them personally would be. 2
"Don't get too excited, I'm not gonna hold your hand and spoon-feed you the answers. I'm giving you the breakdown then what you do with it is on you, now… let's start…" 12
END CHAPTER– 3
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Chapter 71: CHAPTER 067(Quirk Mastery 101)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (up to 30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"Alright, let's get started," Horizon says. Currently, both classes were standing spread out in front of him in a shady area, their teachers at the side quietly observing, Nezu on Vlad King's shoulder.
"This is gonna be a lot for some of you to remember, but it should all be published on UA's website after class, so you can find it there. But here goes.
Quirk Mastery isn't that uncommon to hear about, at least in the most basic sense. But Quirk Mastery and Quirk Training aren't the same thing in my mind.
Quirk Training is to increase the power or precision of your Quirk.
Quirk Mastery is to reach the upper limit of your Quirks capabilities in terms of practicality and uses.
One is making your punches stronger, the other is learning how to punch."
Iida raises his hand to ask a question.
"Put your damn hand down, no questions, just listen," Horizon says, causing most students to stiffen up. 1
"Anyway, experience and pressure are how you improve Quirk Mastery, but that takes a lifetime if you aren't focused on it, which I always am. You need to train power and mastery so they augment each other.
I judge people in fields like Heroics based on Quirk Mastery, any moron can use super strength to punch and lift weights to boost it, tactful and precise Quirk use is what more people need to develop. 2
I'll give my breakdown of how I've made the levels for you to study and grade yourselves, and where I think each of you is currently. But remember Mastery isn't Power. Some Quirks are powerful even without knowing how to use them, like Deku's SuperPower. Others take a lot of mastery but can only achieve a fraction of the raw power, like Creation for example.
In theory, she can make something to match the strength of his punch, but while she has to decide what to make, then understand the material composition, then put it all together in her mind. All he has to do is throw a punch, get it?"
Everyone nods along.
"Because Quirks have been around for so long people just accept them as the norm and are complacent, it's extremely rare for someone to reach their full potential because of this, especially since most people either don't have a license or reason to use and train their Quirk. 1
Most people just depend on others to deal with big problems, but if you're gonna be a hero you can't do that, you're supposed to be the problem solver after all…
Alright, time for the breakdown of Mastery Levels. Each level is pretty self-explanatory in what you have to do to get to the next one, it took me all of two seconds to figure out what each of you has to do to get to level 80 so if you put your mind to it you can probably do it.
First, we have the Negative Levels, this is where using your Quirk causes serious self-harm and can kill you…Deku."
Deku just stares down at his feet as everyone looks over at him.
"I literally had to add this level because of you, because you're just that damn special," Horizon shakes his head. 23
"Anyway, people at this level are completely useless and shouldn't be put in any position where other people are depending on them, like being a Hero for example." 1
Deku gets a slew of sympathetic looks, and the Class 1B students begin to realize exactly what Momo and Jiro were worried about.
"Next is level 0. These are the people who have a quirk but don't know what it does or never bother to use it. The only person here is Toru."
Everyone looks confused at that and Toru raises her hand, Horizon sees her entirely naked form jiggling as she moves and pays it no mind. "What?" 3
"But my Quirk makes my skin and body invisible, it's a Mutation Type so I can't train it," Toru says.
"Everything you just said wasn't just wrong, but also completely stupid," Horizon says harshly. "If your Quirk was physical invisibility you wouldn't be able to see, since light has to actually hit your eyes for that to happen, you'd be a pair of floating pupils. 1
Secondly, I know your Quirk isn't a Mutation, it's an Emitter, you're just too dumb to know how to turn it off. " He raises a hand to silence her response, certainly an angry one judging by the pissed-off look on her face. "The reason I know it's an Emitter than bends light around you, is because my Quirk allows me to ignore light-based illusions, meaning I can see you plain as day, green-pink hair and all." 8
Everyone completely freezes, including Toru, her mind racing to try and figure out if this was a sick joke. But he said green-pink hair, she doesn't even know her own hair color, but that's what her mom has. 5
"AHHHHH!" Toru holds her chest and immediately runs away, crying and screaming all the way out of the training ground. 3
"Tch, it's not like I haven't seen people naked before," Horizon shrugs. "I am a doctor after all, I can be professional about it…" 1
Midnight glares at him, "good luck explaining that to a teenage girl," she begins her brisk walk to catch up to Toru and calm her down. 4
"Whatever," Horizon looks back to the others, seeing most of the students blushing at the scene that just unfolded, he rolls his eyes and continues. "Anyway, at level 20 you've got an understanding of how your Quirk works and what it does. By now most of you are here at the very least.
At level 40 you're comfortable with your Quirk, which means you skip the mental processes of activating it, you treat it as just another part of you, obviously, Mutation Type Quirks have this since their Quirk is always on. 3
At level 60 you can instinctively use your Quirk appropriately in most situations. Think of the way Bakugo fights, completely instinctual and intuitive. He doesn't need to think to alter his approach angles with explosions, it's all automatic in his mind and translates perfectly to his Quirk."
Bakugo keeps his expression neutral at the compliment, swallowing his pride and completely focused on learning anything he can from Horizon.
"After that, the next breakpoint is level 80. In terms of Heroes, this is when you've figured out every possible Super Move and way to use your Quirk, and you've hit the ceiling of power. This is the cap for most Quirks and people, no matter how hard they try they'll never get past this, even after a lifetime of dedicated training in many cases.
This is the part you just have to be born with the capacity to go beyond. Quirk Awakening…"
Horizon sees everyone but Nezu -who he'd explained all of this to before coming here-, look completely confused by this. Even Nezu didn't understand until he eventually broke it down.
"Quirk Manifestation is when you develop a Quirk, but Quirk awakening is when you remove the limit of it. You need to fully master your Quirk, then you get to level 81
Here you either have a fundamental rule or mechanic of your Quirk altered and shifted. Or a previous limit of your Quirk is removed. 1
A good example would be if you could shoot water from your fingertips.
First, you'd be able to shoot regular water.
Then you'd hit level 20 and be able to shoot it from all fingertips.
Then you hit level 40 and you don't have to even think about it because it feels so natural.
Then you hit level 60 and the entire mental process of using it is done automatically. After this, you begin developing Super Moves, at this point most people can get to here within a year of training, so all of you should be here before the end of this year in 7 months.
Level 80 is when you've discovered and mastered all the possible uses of your Quirk to an absolute degree. It's easy to think of this like mastering all the abilities of your Quirk. Obviously for some Quirks, it's less about the Super Move and more about the fundamental nature of your Quirk.
In the case of Momo, we can't expect her to know how to make everything in the world, so she'd instead have to study the fundamental nature of her Creation Quirk. She's a convenient example since her Quirk is so unique and layered. If your Quirk has potentially endless applications like ours you need to study the foundation of it all…
Beyond level 80 is when you're awakened. Back to the example of shooting water from your fingertips, in this case, you may be able to generate water from any part of your body or control masses of water. It literally could just be that simple, 'awakening' sounds grand, but sometimes it's a quiet change."
Iida raises his hand again, and this time Horizon gives him a nod.
"How would one train for an awakening after reaching level 80?" Iida asks.
"Self-study, intensity, and time. Those are the three things you need. Intense emotional situations where your back is against the wall, a true understanding of the self, and a lot of time using your Quirk. 1
I've been studying Quirks for years and I've only found two people who I know are awakened. My dad is the first.
He was the doctor delivering me, there were complications and to figure out what went wrong he had to awaken his Quirk then and there, to save everything he cared about. That intensity, understanding, and absolute sense of self for what he wanted led to him awakening his Quirk. 2
The other is Endeavor, his work ethic is superhuman but eventually, he stopped growing in power and began making more and more Super Moves, he must have realized he was at his limit. Then against one villain he went beyond his limits and used blue flames for the first time, burning his own arm. I'm willing to bet that's his awakening. 5
Either changing the fundamentals, breaking the rules, or amplifying what you can already do. That's what it means to be awakened. But it won't happen if you don't want it enough.
You must have a true sense of self, you cannot awaken if you don't understand who you truly are. Quirks aren't just muscles, they permeate the body and mind, when you train it you can't ignore that."
Horizon sees everyone nodding along deep in thought.
TAKT!
He brings Nezu's tablet over to his hands and taps the screen a few times, causing a hologram to appear above it. A 2-meter square with a long list on it.
1A Quirk Mastery:
Deku=negative 5
Toru= 0
Aoyama =10
Tokoyami= 15
Shoto= 20
Uraraka = 20
Kaminari= 20
Kirishima= 20
Koda=25
Shoji= 25
Sato=30
Sero=30
Mina= 35
Jiro= 35
Momo= 40
Iida= 55
Bakugo= 65
Tsu= 70
Ojiro= 80 11
"Obviously this is my own opinion from the outside looking in, you know more about yourselves than I do…hopefully. Also, I don't know 1B enough to make a proper judgment so you'll all have to self-reflect a bit more. 1
Notice how Todoroki is down toward the bottom while Ojiro is at the top. 4
Tail doesn't need much Mastery to get to level 80 because of how basic it is, but with a fraction of the Mastery, Todoroki is a lot stronger just because of the power his Quirk has. If he was at level 80 with Ojiro he would be a lot stronger. Still would have lost the sports festival, but still a lot stronger. 2
For example. In the fight against Deku, after seeing the first attack all Todoroki had to do was make a pincer attack with his ice since Deku can only defend one angle at a time. But since he uses his Quirk like some idiot meathead…all he did was throw ice around like a moron. Trying to use power to compensate for mastery nearly cost him the match." 1
"What about you?" Jiro asks, not staring at the list and simply speaking aloud. "You aren't on the list."
"Probably at level 100," Sero says.
"Actually I'm at level 60," Horizon's words surprise everyone. Seeing them all gawking at him he sighs. "Clearly you all missed half my lecture, Power doesn't equal Mastery. My Quirk is powerful but I'm nowhere near mastering it, or even figuring out all my basic abilities. I've got a lot of room to grow. 3
But with that being said, I do know what my Awakening is, kind of, I just need to wait for my body to be able to hold enough energy so I can actually use it. Along with just using my Quirk a lot to get more comfortable with it.
A lot of you are probably gonna get to level 80 before me, but it won't matter, even at that point I won't need any awakening to stay in the top spot…"
His words leave a sour taste in their mouth, but they certainly weren't going to argue against it.
"Alright, that's the Quirk Mastery thesis breakdown complete…"
'Well that wasn't so bad,' Kendo and Jiro think. 1
"Now, Deku, get up here…" 8
'Oh crap,' most of 1A gives Deku a sympathetic look… 24
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 72: CHAPTER 068(Level 0)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (up to 30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Hearing Horizon call his name Deku hesitates to step forward, looking over at Eraser Head for any kind of help, only getting a bored look in response.
"Hurry up!" Horizon says. "I don't have time to waste on this shit. I promise I'm only helping you because Nezu made me a deal, not out of the goodness in my heart…honestly, when this is over I'll think you're even more of a pathetic piece of shit that doesn't deserve to be here than before…" 4
'Well, he's always mean to me…but if anyone can figure out what I'm doing wrong it's Horizon,' Deku thinks while walking forward.
"Stand right there," Horizon points to a spot a few meters away from everyone. And Deku silently obeys. "It took me all of two seconds to figure out your Quirk so you should be able to get this down Quickly once I explain it, watch me." 1
Horizon warps his sword out of the scabbard and into his hand, then turns to the city blocks of buildings in the training zone.
"Your issue is how you treat Quirks. You're such a pathetic fanboy that you think Quirks are more special than they are, it's just a part of you. And because you're an All Might fanboy you're trying to be like him and that's what's killing you."
"What?" Deku asks.
"You think all might powers up to throw punches, but he doesn't. He's always using his Quirk, he just amps it up at the moment of impact. If he didn't every movement would rip buildings out of the ground. And if he put all his power into a punch it would rip his arm off, that's what you're doing."
"So I need to use my Quirk more in everyday life?" Deku asks. 1
"No that would kill you. You need to stop treating your Quirk like some grand power and start treating it like another limb. Watch."
Horizon does a wide horizontal swing, without his Quirk, and nothing happens. Then he does the exact same motion again, slicing everything with absolute ease…
AMPUTATE!
All the buildings from where they stand to the other side of the training area, hundreds of meters, are cleanly sliced in two, leaving a thin horizontal line only a few feet above the road.
The sound of cement cracking and breaking echoes around as some building collapse under the sudden shift of weight. Down the street they hear cement breaking as what could have been a small town is effectively destroyed. But the buildings beside them stay standing, only with a thin sword slash along the walls.
"See, the same slash, but they didn't look any different. One did nothing and the other destroyed all the buildings, that's what you need to do." Horizon warps the sword back into the scabbard at his side and turns to everyone. Seeing them all looking at him, completely horrified by how easily he wiped out a small town.
"Hey!" he yells at Deku, snapping him out of his stupor. "You need to learn to use your Quirk to augment your regular actions before using it for the big attacks."
Deku considers it for a moment then realizes what he's saying. "So I need to run before I can punch!"
"Uh…sure. How do you normally visualize it?"
"Oh, like an egg in a microwave, I'm heating it up…but I can't seem to stop before it explodes."
"Oh wow…you're retarded," Horizon says. 7
"What?"
"You use the image of something that will explode, then act surprised when you do explode. Like of course you're a little retarded since it's been at least 10 years and you still can't figure out the basic function of your own Quirk…but still, I'm more and more surprised every time we talk…not in a good way." 1
"Uh…I…yeah," Deku just quietly agrees, realizing that from Horizon's point of view, this was the best explanation. He couldn't tell him that he'd only had the Quirk for 2 months at this point.
"Anyway, forget about the egg in the microwave, I want you to visualize yourself."
"Myself?"
"Yup, but as an empty vessel, a hollow shell with no blood."
"No blood?!" Deku asks. And everyone just focuses in even more on the lesson.
"Blood is power and energy for the body, that's the image you want in this case. Treat it like your Quirk, if mentally your body is filled with blood, boom, you die."
"I see," Deku taps his chin. "So this way I can more accurately control how much power I send to my arms…"
"Nope," Horizon says. "You're still missing the point." Take one drop of blood and stretch it to cover your entire body, activate your Quirk like that."
"One drop?"
"That way the strain is evenly distributed, too small to damage you while giving you a lot of benefits."
Deku falls deep into thought as he closes his eyes and begins visualizing. And Horizon turns to Eraser Head.
"Eraser, I need you to leave, can't have him thinking anyone is going to save him…"
"What?" Eraser asks. "I can't leave my students to get hu–" he's suddenly swapped with a leaf somewhere else in UA. 7
The other teachers are about to speak up but Nezu just waves them off before Horizon explains to Deku. "Having a safety net encourages failure. This way, if you fuck up, you die, that's all. So don't fail…"
"This doesn't seem safe," Uraraka speaks up.
"That's the point. Pressure builds character, you either break like a rusty pipe, or become a diamond…" 4
A small distance away from Horizon, Deku was still focusing on the mental image of his hollow body. Taking one drop of glowing blood and stretched it, impossibly thin until he couldn't even see it anymore.
One For All: 2%
Deku opens his eyes, feeling his muscles tingling. "This feels…good." 3
"Do a standing jump," Horizon commands.
"Alright," Deku goes into a full squat then jumps up, clearing six feet before crumpling to the floor. Unable to keep his balance while controlling his Quirk. "Ouch…"
Seeing Deku down on his hand and knees Horizon shrugs. "It's a start, increase the power as you see fit and you'll be fine. But overdo it and you're gonna break yourself."
"Thank you," Deku says. "You really are amazing, to know so much about Quirks so quickly."
"I know." 1
"Uh…is that it?" Deku asks, not sure if the lesson is done.
"I got you from self-destructing all the way to level 0, what else do you want from me? You had ten years to figure this out but still resorted to being a pathetic fucking leech, have some pride and figure the rest out yourself, get to work." 6
"Sorry!" Deku bows respectfully and does a small run back to his classmates, clearly excited about the progress he just made.
"Anyway, my job here is done. Self-reflection and discipline are all you need, you can figure the rest out yourself, probably, and if you can't, that's not my problem," Horizon shrugs as Vlad King walks over with Nezu on his shoulder.
"Alright students," Nezu cheerfully says. "You've all got the rest of this class to figure out what you need to do according to what you've just learned. The upcoming internships will be a good chance to learn about the background work of running a Hero Agency and managing the logistics of taking down villains. But it's also a good chance to ask Pros about Quirk use and see what you can learn from how they operate. Be sure to take full advantage of it."
"Yes sir!" Most of the students respond.
Vlad walks over and Nezu hops across to Horizon's shoulder and takes a seat. Horizon hands his tablet back to Nezu and they begin walking out of the training area.
SHAMBLES!
Eraser swaps back with the leaf and runs face first into Vlad's back, stumbling back and just shooting Horizon a dirty look.
"Care to explain yourself?!" Eraser yells.
Horizon stops and just looks back at him, "I don't like repeating myself or arguing, it's easier to just move you…not like you can do anything to stop it." 2
Eraser glares at him, "don't do that again."
"Sure sure," Horizon turns and continues walking back to the main campus. 2
Moments later he's sitting in Nezu's office, finalizing the edits on this thesis before Nezu can make it public. Now adding himself to the very short list of credible Quirk specialists and researchers in the world. Another accolade to show how truly invaluable he is.
"Tomorrow I'm leaving school early," Horizon says.
"Well, I don't believe Eraser has anything planned for Hero Training tomorrow, just a breakdown of how Hero Agencies operate so you all aren't going in blind."
"Things from the textbook, I won't be missing anything then."
"May I ask why?" Nezu asks.
"Well, your plan is that we come here Sunday morning, get out Hero Costumes, then take the train to wherever we're going. I don't like public transportation, especially when I'm sure to get people annoying me."
"And Horizon doesn't have a license, or own any cars or property, so you can't drive over in uniform," Nezu says.
"Yup, so I'll just drive over to Tokyo as Law and relax in my penthouse there," he shrugs.
"Is having a dual identity worth it? I'm sure you could have a lot more if you just used Horizon. People would be offering you things… and I know you enjoy female company, lots of heroes take advantage of their status for that." 1
"If I want something I can get it myself, and as for women. Well…just shut the lights off…and if all else fails, you'd be surprised by how many women and willing to put on a blindfold," he says with a mischievous chuckle. 18
Nezu shakes his head, "you're ridiculous."
"Only in all the best ways…" 6
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 73: CHAPTER 069(Playboy Law Matani) 11
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (up to 30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
–11:00 PM, Minato Tokyo…
Outside the most popular nightclub in Tokyo -largely because the All Might Hero Agency is only a few kilometers away-, swarms of people are lined up and waiting to enter.
The sound of muffled music echoes through the building and into the street. Beautiful women as far as your eyes could see, and twice as many horny men trying to get their attention.
But all eyes shift to the road as three jet-black armored Rolls Royce SUVs show up. All have gold accents, with an intricate gold heart on the hood ornament. 1
The convoy stops and security personnel exit the lead and rear vehicles, moving to quickly open the door of the main vehicle. And out steps Law Matani.
His family crest on the hood ornament, the intricate hearts he reserves for making a statement and drawing all eyes to him.
His suit is a simple and black, well-fitting, golden shirt with the top button undone to show off the very top of his chest tattoo. A black and gold Rolex on his wrist, keeping his family colors alive.
Everyone immediately saw him, and after snapping out of it they took a good look at his face. While he was tall and well built, not uncommon in the age of Quirks, his face still looked a bit too young to be in a place like this.
But when he walked up to the bouncers with his four bodyguards around him as the others went to park, they simply let him through without raising a single brow.
The moment they entered the club it felt as if he was hit by what he assumed Jiro's attacks felt like. Music so loud that he could barely hear himself think.
Walking through the main walkway he sees a massive dancefloor ahead of him. Dim lights, and harmless laser shows on the ceiling. A large bar off to the side. Off to the perimeter of this room were a few booths with tables, filled with people having a good time and enjoying their Saturday night.
But while most girls here would be impressed by men having a table, Law was playing on a whole other level now, he has an image to uphold after all.
So he takes a hard left and walks past another pair of bouncers. They open a glass door leading up a short staircase, and the moment he and his security are inside the door shuts behind them, and the music goes from deafening to low and muffled. Barely background noise.
Walking up the stairs they find themselves in what could be mistaken for an entirely different business. A high-class lounge area, with large soft seats. A smaller bar with an older gentleman mixing the drinks. And of course, women in short skirts walking around serving them.
Looking around Law quickly finds his target, a middle-aged Japanese man. Bald head and thin, completely unremarkable on first impression. A simple black and white suit and silver watch that didn't stand out in this room. 1
Looking around he sees a few celebrities and personalities, but he walked right over to the man in question.
"Mister Matani," the man gets up and greets him with a smile before he bows.
Law gives him a much shorter bow, closer to being a simple nod. "Mister Kito, I hope you're having a good night."
"It would be impossible not to after that last phone call we had," the man gestures for them both to sit as the security stands a few feet away, giving them privacy but still keeping an eye on Law.
Law sits before Kito joins him. "Well I'm just glad to finally meet you in person," Law says.
"Well you've been buying businesses from me all across Japan," Mister Kito says. "This one was more of my son's project originally, but when you told me you'd be in Tokyo and were coming here, I just knew I had to come meet you. You haven't been to any of the others you bought."
"Well, I'm always working, I'm sure you know how it is. Working so hard to keep your family strong that you don't get to spend much time with them or even for yourself."
Mister Kito nods, giving Law a look of sympathy. "Young and dutiful, a good man. But I must ask something…"
"Oh, what might that be?" Law asks.
As Mister Kito opens his mouth to respond, two young women approach the table with trays in their hands. One has a dark wine bottle and two glasses, while the other has what's clearly a cigar box.
The women set the table and pour the drinks before quickly leaving. "Awamori, I always drink this to bless any business I do, it has never failed me, and cigars," Mister Kito gestures to the glasses.
"Well, to good fortune," Law shares a drink with the man, feeling the clear rice wine trying to burn his throat on the way down.
"It also fuels my Quirk," Mister Kito says, reaching into the cigar box and taking out two cigars. Cutting them and then snapping his fingers, a small candle flame appeared above his thumb. As he's lighting the cigars he chuckles, "not much in the way of fighting villains, but I'm always ready to have a cigar, a bad habit I picked up some from business partners abroad…just don't tell my wife," he chuckles.
Law laughs and takes his cigar, taking a puff of it and enjoying the vanilla scent it gave off. "My lips are sealed, and as for the flame, well, right now I think that's exactly the right Quirk. So, what did you want to ask me?" 3
"Oh, right," Mister Kito leans back and puffs his cigar. "I did some research, called some friends. You've been buying restaurants, bars, lounges, buildings, and all kinds of businesses. But you never rebrand them under the Matani name.
You simply leave them be, and in some cases where you have the option to buy a majority, you only buy roughly 40% of the business. I'm curious about why that is, you could be making a lot more money, and I know some people that are more than willing to help you find more things to buy."
"Well, it's not about the money honestly," Law admits. "And I'd love to talk to your friends about expanding my reach, because that's what it's all about. I want influence as far and wide as possible. Owning 40% of a business is enough where you can use that business whenever you want, but you don't have to attend meetings, at least not in my case. 3
I want an easy life where my money works for me, and allows me access to things at a moment's notice. Restaurants, clubs, bars, lounges, hotels, everything. I've got the capital, I might as well use it," Law shrugs.
Mister Kito smiles and nods, realizing Law wasn't a threat, just another young man who wants the freedom to do whatever he wants. He was no threat to Mister Kito and his friends that wanted an ironclad grip on the economy.
"I believe my friends are in perfect positions to work with you Mister Matani. They can get you into the highest level of many businesses, and since you don't want a controlling interest, it will be much easier."
"Perfect…"
In truth Law somewhat had to do this. Not for any economical reason, but just so he could go wherever and do whatever without people having to check who he was. It was a way to get Law Matani more famous and separate him from Horizon.
Horizon who will never be putting his name down as the owner of any property. Horizon who doesn't drive or have a car, or a house. Horizon who isn't a playboy that looks like he's in a gang, knuckle tattoos and all. 1
Law Matani and Horizon are so far apart that you'd never even believe they'd get along, much less be the same person. 1
Because how could the future Symbol Of Peace, look and act like a mob boss under his Hero Costume?
Thankfully at least since Swiss Vault never uses names they could use the same accounts to purchase things since it's so heavily insulated, mostly by Nezu himself. So he didn't have to sacrifice too much of his lifestyle as Horizon.
After a few more minutes of exchanging information and casual chatter, Mister Kito leaves Law to enjoy the night, and runs off to spend some time with his mistress.
Finishing up his drink and cigar Law gets up, and makes a post on his Law Matani 'Yay!' account -which currently has 400k Followers, nothing compared to Horizon's 80 Million-, to show the world how flashy his life is, further dividing himself from Horizon. Then walks over to the glass wall separating them from the dance floor on the ground floor.
One-way glass so he could look down at everyone without them even knowing he was there. And looking down he saw exactly what he wanted.
He spots a group of four girls standing at the edge of the dance floor, with no guys in their group.
Two girls are cute, but only human. Meaning they simply looked like cute Japanese girls, boring and easy to find. But the other two…they were truly quirky.
One had bright green skin and orange eyes, long black hair on her head. Short and slender but she has curves in just the right places. 5
The other looked like a regular Japanese girl, except she had ram horns on her head and white curly hair. She was also tall, 183cm -6ft-, but her body was…in a word, stacked. 4
'A sheep Quirk…' Law assumes. 9
Even in this day and age some people avoid begin intimate with Mutant Type Quirk users, but Law was already bored of normal, he enjoys unique experiences…and that includes his women. 9
Understanding this he plays it to his advantage, looking about the club until he finds something he can use.
A table of four guys that seem to just be enjoying drinks, two girls with them. Snapping his fingers one of the servers walks over to him, seeing him looking down at the dance floor. The woman was no taller than Tsu, causing her to stand a bit further away rather than crane her neck to look up at him.
"Do you see those guys there?" He points to the table of guys.
"Yes sir."
"Good, I want you to tell them, that I'm sending two girls over to their table. And those girls are gonna think that they bought them champagne, it's on the house."
"Sir?" the woman looks confused by this.
"I'm trying to help them impress some girls," Law says. Then points at the four girls. "Them, the two plain-looking ones, but when you tell the girls to go over to the guys, make sure you tell them only those two…"
The woman looks even more confused, but quickly hops to the task when he hands her a two thousand-dollar tip.
As Law sees the plan in motion he takes a quick walk down toward the four girls, leaving his security upstairs. Getting to them before they could get the message. Normally he'd just go talk to them, but he really wasn't feeling like putting in any effort during a conversation tonight. He'd just create a situation where they choose him. 1
Using his Quirk he feels the server now approaching the girls and gets to them before her, just barely.
"Hey ladies, you girls having a good time?" he says casually, just waiting for the server to get here.
Thankfully he's attractive so that makes things much easier, and he sees smiles all around, but instantly focuses on the two unique girls as they all make fast introductions, and the moment the girls are starting to loosen up around him.
"Excuse me," the server interrupts them, giving Law a brief glance. "You two ladies have been invited to a table across the dancefloor, your champagne bottles are waiting for you," she says to the ordinary girls.
Both their eyes lite up, and they turn to their friends.
"Only you two, sorry," she says to the girls, gesturing for the ordinary girls to follow her.
The two girls look conflicted, looking between their friends and the server, until Law speaks up.
"Hey it's ok, everyone likes champagne, in the meantime, the three of us will just be at my table upstairs," his suggestion gets both the Mutant girls smiling, and before he can even continue talking they're pouncing on the idea of ditching their ordinary friends. 3
His game plan was extraordinarily simple.
1-Set the bait, in this case, champagne. 1
2-Get rid of the girls he had no interest in, but he has to make it seem like it's their choice. 1
3-Get the Mutant girls to feel like they lost to their friends since they didn't get an invite. 1
4-Invite the Mutant girls to his table which is of higher perceived status than the table downstairs, therefore putting them above their friends. 8
In this case, it worked because from his experience, women love feeling wanted…and women especially love feeling wanted above other women. 14
Normally he could just talk his way into this, but since he has the money and influence but none of the time, this was easier. 2
And that's how he got to where he is now. At his table upstairs, enjoying a drink with Mita, the tall girl with ram horns. And Toko, the girl with neon green skin. Both wore short dresses to show off their goods.
"So I've been wondering, how old are you?" Mita asks, narrowing her eyes at Law as he takes a sip of his drink.
"How old do I look?"
"You can't be older than…eighteen," Toko says.
Law laughs and gives them a cocky smirk. "Clubs don't allow anyone under 20 inside, but if you must know. It's my Quirk, keeps me looking youthful…also really makes it difficult for women to take me seriously since they prefer older men…" 1
"That's amazing, I wish I had that Quirk," Toko says.
"Well if you play your cards right tonight, your kids could have it." 19
"Ach!" Mita chokes on her drink while Toko just starts laughing.
A joke that only works if they find you attractive, otherwise it could get you into trouble. 7
"So do you girls live around here?" Law asks. "I'm actually not from Tokyo at all, just visiting for a week. Maybe we can keep in touch for a bit."
"Yeah we work at the aquarium," Mita says.
"Yeah," Toko nods along. "So are you here on vacation or business?"
"Eh, clearly a little bit of both. But my job is really boring…"
"Really?" Toko asks. "With all the tattoos and how cocky you are…I guessed crime family."
"Me too," Mita admits.
Law laughs at that. "So you thought I was in the Yakuza or something and still followed me up here?" 1
Both women look at each other, then nervously look at Law.
"Relax I'm not in anything like that. My career isn't really exciting so I try not to talk about it but…I'm in banking."
Toko moves a bit closer to him, pressing her shoulder against his arm, and takes his hand, raising it to rub a thumb over his knuckle tattoos. 1
"Well…would you believe me if I said it's high-risk banking?"
After a few more drinks and some time talking about nonsense, Law finally decides it's time to close the deal, he had to go meet Endeavor tomorrow after all.
"You know I'd love to keep talking but, the music here is really loud," an obvious hint that he just wanted to get out of here since they could barely hear the music. "How about we finish our drinks at my place, and my bar has what I need to show you my signature drink…" 2
Both women share a look, and at once they decide that the night has only just begun… 7
END CHAPTER– 6
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Chapter 74: CHAPTER 070(A New Endeavor) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (up to 30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
–6 AM…
Walking through the halls of his Hero Agency, Endeavor has a smirk on his face as he moves toward his office. Leaving his personal chambers after his morning workout and shower, he's excited for Shoto's arrival in a few hours. 2
He'd finally get to show his son exactly what kind of Hero he is. The result of a lifetime of hard work and dedication. He hopes that just maybe Shoto would be impressed and soften up to him.
Getting to the top floor Endeavor opens the door to his office, and his mood immediately sours.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asks.
His office was absolutely massive and high-end, with two couches with a coffee table between them. His desk is off to the side with a wall behind it. And to the right of his desk was a glass wall overlooking Tokyo.
Currently, Horizon was sitting on one of the couches scrolling through his phone, head nodding along to the music being played into his visor. Sword leaning against the couch at his side.
Tapping his phone a few times he puts it down and looks over at the furious Endeavor. "I was just checking my post. People are excited, I posted a picture in here to announce my internship."
Endeavor stomps over to him and glares down at Horizon, "I mean, what are you doing in my office, in my building? How did you get inside?"
"Uh…I can warp, obviously. What you think I need doors, like a peasant?" 14
Endeavor wants to yell at the boy, but instead, he takes a deep breath and the flames on his shoulders and face dissipate.
Without a word he moves to sit opposite Horizon and just silently stares at him, trying to figure out how to approach this situation.
"Is Shoto here already?" Endeavor asks.
"Nah he's probably just getting ready for UA, I took my Hero Costume and spent the night in Tokyo."
"You aren't supposed to have your Hero Costume outside of school under normal circumstances like that," Endeavor narrows his eyes at Horizon.
"So?" 1
Endeavor sighs, expecting this to be difficult but already getting sick of the attitude. "Do you want tea? Can you drink tea?" he wasn't sure what the deal was with Horizons visor. 1
"I can, but I don't. I'm good for now," Horizon says. "So, can we just get to the point please? You never offer students internships or work studies. Shoto is obvious because it's your kid, but why me?"
"Hmm, I appreciate that you don't like small talk," Endeavor admits. "The reason I extended an offer to you is because, I want to ask you some Questions." 1
"My Quirk is none of your business."
"Tch, not about that, about your parents…"
"Mmm," Horizon growls lowly and sits up. "What, you didn't learn from what happened to Shoto? Are all the Todorokis gonna need me to teach them this lesson?" 1
"I want to know how they succeeded where I failed," Endeavor says quickly, causing Horizon to pause for a moment then leaned back into the couch. 1
"Ok… you have my attention, explain yourself." 1
"I assume Shoto told you about…my mistakes."
"Mistakes? You mean the child neglect, child abuse, domestic abuse, Quirk marriage, Quirk breeding, all that shit?" 3
Endeavor looks ashamed, eyes dropping down to the table between them. "Yes, my mistakes."
"Ok, what about them?" Horizon asks casually, as if they were talking about the weather.
This confuses Endeavor, he'd expected hate and anger, not, nonchalance. "You…aren't angry?"
"Huh, why would I be angry? Not my family, not my problem. Who gives a fuck what you do in your house," Horizon shrugs. 1
"That…is concerning." 10
"It's more concerning that the #2 Hero is such a shitty dad, so you're in no position to judge anyone here." 5
Endeavor nods in agreement.
"And if you brought me here for family therapy, sorry but I'm not that kind of doctor. I deal in real medicine, not make-believe bullshit." 16
"Therapy is real."
"For real pussies is what you mean," Horizon scoffs. "If you've got problems just get over it." 20
Endeavor blinks a few times, taking a moment to really wrap his mind around what kind of person he was currently talking to. Not at all liking the idea of someone so powerful with this kind of mentality. But as Horizon said, he's in no situation to be judging anyone, so he just lets it go.
"I want to know how you were raised," Endeavor says in a serious voice, getting them on topic. "Shoto was born and raised to be the absolute strongest, but in raising and training him, I destroyed my family.
I allowed my ambition to burn everything and everyone around me, they all hate me, I hate me, for what I've done. For all I didn't do.
I want…I want to atone. I don't think I want them to forgive me, I don't think I can be forgiven. But I'd at least like for them all to be together, even if it is without me." 1
"Very touching I'm sure," Horizon rolls his eyes beneath the visor. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"You."
"Me?"
"When I saw you defeat Shoto, when I heard about your Quirk. I realized it was all a pointless ambition of mine. And when I thought Shoto died…I didn't know what to do. I'd never felt so…so powerless. I wanted nothing more than to get a second chance, to fix everything I did to my family. And then you put him back together, and I got my second chance."
Horizon chuckles at that, causing Endeavor to glare at him. "Sorry, sorry. It's just that…I beat Shoto so bad you got character development," another chorus of chuckles. 11
"Can you help me or not!" Endeavor yells, flames erupting on him again, now pissed off. "Your parents trained you to be powerful, yet you always speak of them with love, how?" 1
"Alright alright," Horizon raises his hands in surrender. "But I need something from you."
"Huh?"
"Work studies, at your agency."
Endeavor calms down, now more professional as they discuss business. "Hmm, my Hero Agency is the most successful in Japan, working here you'd likely be able to make more money than anywhere else, even as a student." 1
"Don't care about the money. A standard contract is fine," Horizon says. "I've got more money than I know what to do with already. I just need to work at the best agency, under the best hero. Most of my work will be independent after I learn how you operate."
Endeavor raises a brow at that. "Shouldn't you be trying to get All Might to teach you?"
"I need someone skillful, not a meathead that's just born strong. You're my gold standard for Pro Heroes, you're the only option for me." 6
Endeavor smiles at that, hearing someone actually acknowledge his skill and hard work instead of just gawking at All Might's raw power. "Alright, but you'll need to get your Provisional License first, so the contract will have to wait until next year."
"June actually," Horizon says. "I'll be taking the exam early, everyone else has to wait a bit longer."
"Hmm, I see, you've got yourself a deal," Endeavor leans forward and shakes his hand.
This was everything Horizon needed. A spot in a well-connected agency that gets a lot of big cases, he'd get Hero Network access from Nezu, then he can start resolving incidents and solving cases solo after he figures out how Endeavor operates and adapts his style.
"Ok," Horizon starts, and Endeavor focuses on not missing a single word. "From what I understand you basically made a kid and forced him to be a hero and it destroyed your family. I don't know how to fix it, but a major difference that my parents did is that they didn't force me to do anything."
"What?"
"When my Quirk first manifested, we thought it was a dud, a completely useless Quirk. I was crying, and my dad offered to teach me medicine. He knew I was hoping for a Quirk like his so I could help out in the clinic.
I asked him to teach me, so all the stress and studying I had to deal with, it was all my choice.
A few weeks later I asked mom to teach me how to take care of myself, to be an adventurer like her. I wanted to help her out one day, so she began teaching me.
I could have just decided to do nothing and be nothing…maybe things would have turned out better that way.
But I chose to learn from them. They would have loved me either way. From the moment I was born I was already perfect in their eyes, because I'm their son, and that will always be enough. True unconditional love, I'll never get that anywhere else. 3
But I chose to live a life of hard work and pain, I chose to learn everything they knew and take it to heights unimagined. I chose to become Horizon. It was all my choice.
You removed the option for anyone in your family to choose, you forced your dream onto them. How could they ever not hate you for that? 3
Obviously, there is a lot more to it than that, but this is just the main difference I see, because I imagine many of the harsh, painful lessons my parents taught me, were a lot worse than what you did. Partly because they knew I could just heal myself. But I asked for it so that's on me. 1
But I'd imagine it helped a lot that, well…I'm not a pussy," he shrugs. "Anyway, that's my take on it." 8
"I see," Endeavor rubs his chin, deep in thought. "I have much to think about. As for your internship. I'll have to leave you in the care of my head sidekick Burnin, Shoto needs help controlling his fire so that's what I'll be focusing on with him for a while. We won't be leaving the gym here, you and Burnin will operate as usual for this agency." 9
"Sounds perfect."
"Good, I'll have Burnin show you to your room later…and teach you to use doors. Don't just warp into rooms like you did earlier."
"People who can warp, should warp. I don't tell you not to have those ridiculous flames on your shoulder and face…serious, a flame mustache, really?" 11
"My Quirk use isn't illegal, and my flames don't look ridiculous!" 16
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 75: CHAPTER 071(Tokyo Central Bank)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Aside from a stopping few minor thefts, Horizon hadn't done anything exciting on the first day of his internship. Today would be much more exciting.
Walking through Tokyo with Burnin -Moe Kamiji-, Horizon is one step behind her as people constantly stare at them on the crowded streets. 6
Burnin was a young lady, Endeavor's most famous and powerful Sidekick. Her Hero Costume was rather simple. A grey double-breasted mini-dress with orange and black lining and accents. Two rows of buttons down the front of it and short slits at the sides so she can move easier. 7
Her belt has a temperature gauge for a buckle and a small fire extinguisher at the back of it. Strong thick legs in knee-high socks and short boots. And a pretty face was somewhat hidden beneath a black mask. 2
But in reality, the mask barely did anything.
Beacuse her entire costume was topped off with a head of green fire for hair. Seemingly appearing more like a liquid that's frozen in place, wild and messy. Perfectly matching her fiery personality and rambunctious nature. 2
All fit into a 169cm -5ft6.5-package, one inch shorter than Momo. Walking in front of Horizon the top of her head just barely reaches his neck. 3
Burnin raises a hand and stops abruptly, focusing in on the earpiece connecting her to the Endeavor Agency. 1
"What's going on?" Horizon asks.
A moment later she turns around and looks up at him, "some villains attacked the Tokyo Central Bank and took hostages, the cops want us there to help out, let's go!" 1
Without waiting for any response Burni's hair expands and all the loose piece meld together and grow, lifting her off the street and rocketing into the air. 1
Now soaring over the streets below she begins the somewhat long trip further into the heart of Tokyo to go help out.
"Great…this is gonna suck," Horizon mutters as he sees her disappear over the buildings. Already knowing he'd be quickly drained after this. 1
ROOM!
He opens the largest room he can, 7km in every direction, 2km more than before he joined UA. Having such a wide open space to train has done wonders for him already. This brings his area of influence to a total 14km diameter. As always he's in the middle, a blessing sometimes, and a curse in moments like these. 3
Focusing toward the southeast of his room he tries to find anything he can swap with.
SCAN!
The influx of information is instantly processed, but he can feel the toll on his mental stamina from scanning such a large area.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps for a candy wrapper he located in a back alley before instantly closing his ROOM.
"Four more of these to go…" he mutters, and starts the taxing process all over again.
SHAMBLES!
Law appears on a sidewalk, one more warp away from his destination. He shakes his head to stay focused, and opens another room.
SCAN!
'Oh, you can't be serious…' he sighs, finding nothing to swap to…an entire area of the city completely cleared out because of this bank heist. 'Fuck it.'
He raises his hand and flicks a finger upward.
TAKT!
At his desired location a peddle is ripped out of the sidewall by a seemingly invisible force. 1
Focusing on small objects is already difficult. With TAKT, if he can see them it's much easier to command them to move. Using SCAN and TAKT to move things that he's far away from him is taxing but has its uses.
But TAKT has a limit that only he and his parents know about.
Without adding much more energy and focus he can only command things to move as fast as gravity would naturally allow them.
For example, he can only move a rock as fast as it would naturally fall. Increasing the speed and force requires more energy, eventually leading to diminishing returns on his stamina use.
So ripping a pebble out of the floor, from this far away, without being able to even see it…
With his ROOM already pushed to the limit, it felt as if he tried to rip the sports festival stage out of the floor.
SHAMBLES!
He appears in a deserted alley one building away from the police barricade.
Immediately shutting down his Quirk he leans against the wall, taking a moment to catch his breath. Squeezing his eyes shut he regains his focus enough so that nobody would realize he isn't at full strength and stands up straight, walking toward the police barricade as if nothing happened. 2
In truth without the need to follow the rules and maintain his heroic image, he could have covered the 28km much easier.
Open a room, swap for a car or even a dumpster, something big enough that he doesn't have to strain his mind to find and lock onto it.
But he's Horizon. He doesn't move people's property so freely. Finding litter was the more heroic option, therefore that's what he did. 5
The last thing he wants is people questioning his Quirk use, especially since he doesn't have a Provisional License yet so this is all technically illegal Quirk use.
And as for ripping a piece of the ground out, he knows he can't make a habit of that. Property damage is what keeps people like Mt. Lady poor and low in the rankings after all.
'So what if a few people die because I take longer,' he thinks to himself. 'The important thing is that if this was going to be some rampaging monster like the USJ Nomu, I'd need to show up at full strength. I need to figure out this mobility problem.' 12
Walking out of the alley he sees a mob of news teams already set up with cameras and mics. Beyond them is a line of policemen and 10 Pro Heroes, all waiting patiently for an opening in this standoff.
Behind the news teams are a mob of civilians, so swept up in the idea of heroes that they don't even realize how dangerous this situation is, so confident that nothing would happen to them and heroes would take care of it all. 2
'Disgusting, the bystander effect in full action…' Horizon thinks as he walks up, making a show of it. 1
"Excuse me, can I please get by!" He loudly asks, causing the crowd to turn around and stare at him.
A chorus of cheers and chattering erupts as all the cameras turn to him, and one lucky reporter manages to shove a mic toward his face as he pushes through the crowd.
"Horizon! Do you think the hostages will be ok?!" The reporter asks, and Horizon stops.
The crowd waits anxiously for his answer, some of them having family and friends trapped inside, now seeing a shining beacon of hope that the situation would be taken care of.
That Principal Nezu's bet, the future Symbol Of Peace has arrived to save them.
Turning to the reporter Horizon speaks in a gentle voice, still sounding somewhat mechanical. "You don't need to worry, everyone will be fine."
"Are more Pros coming?" another reporter asks, "the current Pros have just been standing about doing nothing, how long until enough Pros are here to go in and deal with these villains?!"
Horizon looks at him and chuckles before answering, "this problem is already resolved, you have all the heroes you need, because I am Horizon, and that's enough…" he walks past the police barricade without saying another word.
Stepping into the police area Horizon sees the massive bank, large white columns, and a stone staircase leading to the door. All the windows were currently painted over, a bright purple color, as well as the glass doors.
Looking up to the nearby rooftops he sees armored police officers with rifles aimed at the building, trigger fingers itchy and waiting for the right order. He also sees a few Pros he's standing spread out in case any of the robbers try to run. None of them having a Quirk applicable to this situation unless a fight happens.
"Horizon, this way please," one of the officers says, even the regular uniformed officers wore bulletproof vests and were carrying around rifles, obviously ready to put these criminals down if necessary.
Following the man he's led into a mobile command unit, a small room with monitors connected to nearby street cameras to keep eyes on the building. In it are a few people on headphones looking at the screen and coordinating efforts, likely calling in more Pros, and standing behind them is an officer in a trench coat pacing back and forth.
He was an older gentleman with grey hair and a thin mustache, but his eyes seemed youthful the moment they landed on Horizon.
"Horizon."
"Captain?" Horizon asks while shaking his hand.
"Yes, I'm the captain in charge of this operation," the man looks confused for a moment. "The Endeavor Agency told us you'd arrive with Burnin…"
"I can warp, she has to fly, I got here first. I don't think we have time to waste with innocent lives at stake sir."
"Agreed," the man nods. "Endeavor is busy but your dispatcher at the agency was confident your Quirk could handle this situation."
"What's the situation?"
The captain leads him to a table with a floor plan of the bank, he points at the vault room, "a dozen men, one of them has a Drill Quirk, transforms his arms into drills, he's breaking into the vault here."
"How long until he gets in?"
"It's been ten minutes so I'd rather not find out."
"Hostages?" Horizon asks.
The man points to the main floor of the bank, "two dozen, men, women, they let the kids go. But one of the kids had a note, said they strapped half a pound of C4 to each hostage, and they claim that the lead guy is holding a dead man's trigger."
"So if he gets shot or hurt, boom…"
"Exactly," the captain says. "We managed to get some intel on their Quirks. Nothing that packs a punch, basic strength enhancer, and some standard Mutant Quirks."
"Alright," Horizon nods. "Let's confirm what we can."
ROOM!
He closes his eyes and focuses, his ROOM expanding to cover everything for 200 meters in every direction.
"Get some men to clear the sewer system," Horizon says.
"What?" the captain taps one of the men behind him who immediately take off his headset to listen in.
"They entered through the front door but they've got another guy with a drill Quirk in the sewer. And he's got one big guy with him."
The captain looks surprised and confused, but he's ultimately grateful.
"Half a pound of C4 times 24, that's a dozen pounds, not enough to bring down a building that size but anyone in the main room when it goes off is probably dead…the Pros on hand should be enough if these guys are as weak as you say. Ok, I've got a plan that can end this now…"
ROOM!
Law takes a deep breath as his Quirk deactivates.
"I'm listening…" the captain says.
Five minutes later Horizon is standing with nearly fifty officers and 8 Pros, two having just arrived. They were all facing the front of the building ready for action. There was an assortment of rocks scattered about on the street which they were all staring at, guns lowered.
The news cameras were confused at what was going on, then they saw Horizon raise his hand. And snap his fingers.
SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! 14
The two dozen hostages suddenly appear where some of the rocks were, without the bombs strapped to them.
For a moment they look bewildered and confused, then some of their eyes settled on Horizon and they slowly began to realize what was going on.
The surrounding crowd began to cheer as the police escorted the hostages to safety until this situation was resolved.
A moment later all the cops returned and pointed their guns at the remaining rocks, ready for action at a moment's notice.
Horizon raises his hand again, making a show of snapping his fingers.
SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! 1
Thirteen naked and unarmed men suddenly appear in front of them, immediately freezing at the sight of all the guns aimed at them. And in the middle of all the officers, Horizon stood with his sword drawn and also pointed at them. 4
"You should surrender, this isn't a good look," Horizon says. 1
Half the men raise their hands, the others keep them down to preserve what little dignity they had left. 1
Less than a minute later all the men were arrested, each wearing handcuffs and a cloth sheet, stuffed into the back of armored trucks.
The captain walks up to Horizon as the men are sent off, giving him an apprehensive look.
"You sure about this?" he asks Horizon.
"Of course," Horizon says. "If I warp him and he moves his finger the bombs go off, and we can't take their word for it that it's only C4, the best course of action is to make sure they never go off, this ensures that."
"Assuming he doesn't freak out when it happens," the captain says.
"I'll get ahold of it before he can do that, trust me."
"I obviously do…just, cutting people up is really freaky…"
"I get that a lot." 6
"Well at least wear a vest," the captain says. "Your circumstance is pretty unique so I'm letting you use your Quirk, but if you get hurt then we both get in serious trouble, you could get expelled and I'll go to jail like those guys…" 1
"How about a camera, I'll warp away if things go bad, I promise."
"Fine…I really hope I don't regret this…" 1
END CHAPTER– 1
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
I've also made some new tiers on pat.reon starting this month so come give it a look if you want :)
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Chapter 76: CHAPTER 072(Mobility Issues)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
SHAMBLES!
Horizon swaps with a lamp on the second floor of the bank, wearing a small camera on his tie from the police officers. Casually walking he hears frantic pacing downstairs, boots clattering on the stone tile.
Looking over the second-floor balcony he sees a man in a simple black suit, an automatic rifle in one hand and a detonator in the other. He wore a balaclava mask on his head, only showing his eyes and mouth, all plain looking.
Horizon slowly draws his sword, making sure the camera he's wearing gets a good show, and endpoints it at the man.
He gently swings his sword, the white blade and blue edge move as he speaks quietly, just barely enough for the camera to hear. 1
"Amputate." The man's hand with the detonator is lopped off at the wrist, yet he doesn't feel anything or even react.
"Shambles," the hand swaps for one of Horizon's cards, and he immediately applies pressure to the thumb, making sure it can't leave the trigger.
Feeling the pressure now on his hand the man panics and raises his left hand to look at it, only to freeze, seeing his bone and flesh exposed yet still feeling his hand. 1
"AHHHHH!" He shrieks in shock.
"Amputate," Horizon slashes once more, this time destroying the rifle the man held. 4
The man didn't even notice the rifle being bisected as he just drops to his knees, scared and confused as he clutches his wrist with his one remaining hand.
Horizon takes the time to stroll down the large staircase to the main floor, walking past all the bombs and clearing his throat for the man to look up at him.
Through his teary and scared eyes, Horizon looked like a monster, a demon. The detonator in his left hand, and a severed hand in his right, yet he carried himself as if it were completely normal. 4
"What did you do to me?" The man asks in a shaky voice, looking down to see his wrist wasn't even bleeding.
"Relax, it doesn't hurt, I'll put it back when you're arrested…I mean how else would the handcuffs work," Horizon shrugs.
"I'll be ok?"
"You'll be ok, just walk outside and hand yourself over…" 4
And that's exactly what happened, clutching his severed hand the man walks outside without his mask on, peacefully handing himself over to the police.
And the bystanders and officers alike cheer for Horizon, as he resolves his first big incident. A bright start for their future Hero.
The bomb squad rushes in, and one of them stops by Horizon.
"I didn't touch the bombs," Horizon says as he carefully hands over the detonator to the man.
"Well done, good work Hero," the man quickly nods and rushes off to join his men.
'Well that's a first…and I'm already sick of it,' Horizon thinks. 5
Horizon quickly calls one of the officers over and hands him the served limb and body camera, leaving the man thoroughly disgusted and shocked as he walks away. Seeing Burnin talking to the captain.
"Well look who finally showed up," he says to Burnin.
"Well, we can't all warp. But good job, you ended things smoothly and didn't even need my help!" She gives a dazzling smile and a thumbs up. 4
"You really did good work Horizon," the captain says. "I can't wait to see what you'll be like as a Pro, now, I need to go make a statement to the media."
"Mind if I join you?" Horizon asks.
"Uh, they can be pretty intense."
"More intense than a hostage and bomb situation?"
"Fair enough, follow me."
Falling into step behind the captain Horizon and Burnin stand by and listen to him explain what happened to the media, until he eventually passes the attention over to Horizon.
"–Thankfully Horizon showed up so the situation was resolved minutes later without anyone getting hurt or needing to fire a single bullet. He was instrumental in resolving this incident and my report as well as the body camera footage will support that. Those will be released to the public later today…"
The captain immediately and wisely walks away before they can pull him into another barrage of questions, heading off to handle cleanup and write his report.
Now standing in front of the mob with Burnin all eyes and cameras were on him.
And the barrage of questions began.
"Horizon! How do you feel after resolving your first official incident involving civilians?!"
"Saving people always feel great," Horizon says. Publicly saving people does feel great, because the more he saves the closer he is to saving his parents. 2
"How has it been at the Endeavor Hero Agency?!"
"It's been great, he and I have an understanding of what we expect from each other. Endeavor is my gold standard for Pro Heroes so working with him will teach me a lot. I aim to learn as much as I can from him to help as many people as possible."
"How was the plan that handled this bank situation devised?!"
"When I arrived on the scene the captain and I put our heads together to utilize my quirk effectively and efficiently. Working together with our brave police officers thankfully we were able to avoid any violence today."
"Would it be right to say that you with the support of the police resolved this incident?!" One reporter asks.
"Not at all," Horizon says. "I assisted them in whatever way I could. Having a powerful Quirk doesn't mean I'm the lead in every situation. In this delicate and volatile situation power is hardly relevant. These men and women have years of training and experience that I'd be foolish and ignorant to ignore and act as if I know better than, they're the real heroes here…" 6
The nearby police officers look genuinely surprised at this response. Not expecting or used to this much credit being given to them, especially from a Pro Hero.
In this world, you're either a Pro Hero, or you're nothing, even if your job is so intertwined.
Horizon knew this, and every word was carefully chosen to be extraordinarily humble, because he knew this would be seen as a blatant lie when the bodycam footage and official reports show him doing most of the work. 2
That would then make him look even better in the public eye, and that's all that mattered.
–6 PM…
Laying in his room at the Endeavor Hero Agency, Law has all the lights off as he scrolls through his 'Yay!' page. Seeing everyone commenting on his latest post. 4
After the police published the details, bodycam footage, and the media agencies posted their own pictures. He put the most flattering bits and pieces together and posted it on his page. 1
His room didn't have much else to do. It was small, with a bed, wardrobe, desk, chair, and bedside table and lamp. Only the essentials.
With a single warp he could be in his Tokyo penthouse to enjoy all its comforts. But if something happened here he could miss the alert and lose a precious chance to build himself up, it simple wasn't worth the risk.
Currently, he had a meal bar in one hand and his phone in the other, his body glove was neatly folded at his desk and his visor was atop it.
He sees the 1A group chat going wild with everyone asking him how the bank situation was and if he's ok, he looks at the messages but doesn't bother responding.
Then he gets three messages. One from Sero telling him how cool he looked on the news. Another from Jiro asking if he's ok. 8
And finally a message from Momo that read, 'I hope you're alright, it seems at least one of us is doing real heroic things at our internship…' 5
Horizon just raises a brow at it and leaves her on 'seen' like the others. He had bigger things to worry about than their poor choices. 6
Finishing his meal bar and drinking some water he goes down to the basics to figure out exactly how to solve his current problem.
'Ok, what do I know?
I know my Quirk works in a sphere. 6
I know that the ROOM always extends with me in the middle.
My own universe where I'm the center of it, as a god should be. 1
I know once I'm in there I'm powerful.
…But today I realized that my lifestyle has always been me fighting somewhat on my own terms.
When I worked with mom she taught me to pick my fights, so I could usually just wait for my target.
But heroes are reactive, not proactive. Now that I'm playing Hero I need to be able to chase people.
Once I get to the fight I'm fine, but getting to the fight is a serious problem. If one of those bank guys were strong earlier I could have been in trouble. If the USJ Nomu was there I'd be dead because of how drained I was just to get there.
I can't afford to spend that much energy just to get to an incident in the future, I need mobility outside of my ROOM…'
"But how the fuck do I do that?" Law asks aloud. "If I could just move about like Hawks or Burnin, or even Bakugo…" 1
Law sits up, suddenly struck by an idea, by something that caught his eye at the Sports Festival.
"Hover Soles…" he quickly finds Mei Hatsume's match against Kaminari, plus some clips of her during the cavalry battle and obstacle race. "They let her hover above the ground…but I'll need something a lot better than that, and a lot less goofy." 1
Law is about to call Nezu when he hears a loud knowing at his door. 2
ROOM!
SHAMBLES!
He's sudden in his body glove and visor as he walks to the door, opening it to see Endeavor standing there in casual clothes and a coat.
"Yeah?" he asks, standing at almost the exact same height, face-to-face with Endeavor.
Endeavor takes a good look at Horizon, now realizing how muscular he was under that suit, because that's what he's in almost all the time either in the UA uniform or his Hero Costume.
"We're going to dinner, dress casually," Endeavor doesn't even wait for a response, just starts walking away.
"Well…I could still eat I guess," Horizon shrugs and goes to get some clothes on.
Completely oblivious to how much Todoroki family drama was about to unfold… 21
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 77: CHAPTER 073(Nightmare House)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the back of the car Horizon is leaning against the door, head nodding along to the music being played in his visor. He wore a simple blue t-shirt with his logo on the back, a pair of matching pants, along with his Hero Costume boots, and his watch. Keeping his cards in his pocket just in case. 5
Across from him on the other side of the back seat, Shoto stares out the window as they drive past the houses.
And in the front seat Endeavor and the driver are entirely silent the entire ride.
Getting an alert Horizon takes out his phone to check it, seeing a text from Nezu.
'I got your request, but support items for Hero Course students must be designed by fellow students. I'll pass the request to Power Loader for him to assign the appropriate student…' 3
As Horizon closes his phone the car comes to a stop in front of a traditional Japanese mansion.
'Huh, I expected more…' Horizon thinks as they all get out of the car and follow Endeavor to the front door.
Walking through the courtyard he opens a room for 100 meters in every direction, 200 meters across in total.
SCAN!
He senses an old woman, setting a table and finishing up some cooking. Helping her is a younger lady with glasses. Aside from them nobody else is here, and he doesn't sense anything unusual for a place like this.
Entering the main house they all take off their shoes as Horizon hears a set of footsteps approach, feeling the younger of the two women doing a small jog down the hallway.
"Shoto!" Fuyumi Todoroki rounds the corner with a wide smile. 4
Fuyumi was a plain-looking woman, 22 years old with a slim build and short stature, only standing at 160cm -5ft3-. Her most striking feature was the head of white hair with small patches of red sprinkled about. Along with the square black glasses on her face just barely hiding her gray eyes. 2
'Huh, she sounds just like Jiro…' was Horizon's first thought, while Fuyumi just froze for a moment, trying to process what she was seeing. 4
Her eyes widened for a moment to take in Horizon's jarring look, not expecting him to always be in a mask and body glove, and also not expecting him to be almost as tall as Endeavor, although you'd have to look very close to notice the 1cm difference.
But then her stare turned into a harsh glare and scowl, "why are you here?" 1
"Huh?" Horizon looks at Endeavor. "Your dad said you wanted me here."
"He told me one of Shoto's classmates was working with him…he didn't say it was you," she growls out.
"What's your problem with me?" Horizon was genuinely confused, all while Endeavor and Shoto wisely kept quiet. "I've never even met you before." 1
"You nearly killed Shoto!" 1
"Tch," Horizon scoffs. "I barely touched him, and he was never at risk of death. Honestly, he got off lucky considering how much he ran his mouth before the fight."
"Got off lucky?!" Fuyumi gestures at Shoto. "He still has nightmares about waking up with no heart!" 3
Horizon looks around even more confused, "how is it my fault that he's a complete fucking pussy, just get him therapy or something. Isn't that what you losers do?" 23
Fuyumi's face goes red, but Endeavor steps in before she goes into a full tirade, "let's all just take a moment and go to the dining room, we can talk this out there."
The harsh glare he gives Fuyumi immediately has her mouth shut, but Horizon just rolls his eyes when it falls upon him.
As Fuyumi stomps away Horizon just sighs and follows Endeavor into the dining room.
Stepping into the dining room Horizon sees a low table and floor mats for them to sit on. A full traditional dinner to match the clear style of the house was laid out for them.
"So your family doesn't believe in chairs," Horizon says. "Or anything from the past four centuries…" 2
"You don't believe in tradition?" Endeavor asks as they all take their seats. He sits at the head of the table with Shoto and Fuyumi to his left, and Horizon opposite them.
"Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people, it's obsolete. And if I don't let living people tell me what to do why would I ever listen to corpses." 24
The room falls into a tense silence as everyone starts eating, Horizon mainly eats white rice and some grilled fish. But eventually, he just gets annoyed by Fuyumi sitting opposite him staring daggers at his visor.
"What?" He asks her.
"Nothing," she begins glaring even harder.
"Just say what's on your mind already."
"Why did you do that to Shoto at the sports festival?" Fuyumi asks. "He doesn't talk about it, but I'd like to know what someone could do to deserve that. I know my brother is a good person so I just can't believe he deserved it."
Horizon puts down his chopsticks and looks at her, closing his visor before he speaks. "He decided to run his mouth about my parents, so I made an example of him. Now everyone knows if they do something like that I'll kick their teeth in, happy now?"
Fuyumi looks even more confused now. "That doesn't seem like Shoto," she turns to her brother. "Shoto, did you really do that?" she asks in a much more concerned tone.
Shoto takes a while to think about his words, trying very carefully not to repeat his same mistake. "I made a wrong assumption. I couldn't understand. You always spoke of how harsh they were with the training you, from the same age as me. I just…I never considered that you could be trained and raised to be this powerful without hate and abuse."
"Wait, so it was a misunderstanding?" Fuyumi asked. "Shoto assumed that your parents were like our dad?" 2
"Yes," Shoto says, and Endeavor hangs his head in shame. "But clearly I was wrong, very wrong." 1
"And now you know better," Horizon says. "Because as anyone who saw the finals knows, my parents were perfect, and everything I do is for them."
Fuyumi's eyes dart back over to him, "then why didn't you just explain the situation to him?"
"Because my family situation is none of his business, just like this family isn't any of my business. I don't need to explain a damn thing, I just have to make sure that if he runs his mouth I teach him a painful lesson that he will never forget." 6
"That's not very heroic," Fuyumi says. 3
"Neither is what your dad did, and he's still the #2 Pro Hero," Horizon completely shuts her up. 11
"I was only trying to help, as Midoriya did for me," Shoto says. "I figured we could walk the path to healing together."
"Of course Deku had something to do with it," Horizon rolls his eyes. "Well the important thing is I taught you a valuable lesson, don't meddle where you aren't wanted…and I certainly don't want you." 2
The table falls into a tense silence for a few more minutes before Fuyumi starts up another conversation. "So, do you still look up to my dad after knowing all of this?"
All eyes move to Horizon as he answers. "I never cared and I still don't care about Enji Todoroki. But the hero Endeavor is still my gold standard for pretty much everything needed to be a Pro Hero, that hasn't changed."
Endeavor puts down his chopsticks and gets up, startling Fuyumi. "Shoto, come with me, we need to talk…" he says before walking into the courtyard.
Shoto sighs and follows him, leaving Horizon and Fuyumi at the table.
"So…enjoying the food?" Fuyumi asks.
"It's good, did you help that old lady cook?"
Fuyumi looks surprised, "how do you know about the housekeeper, you haven't seen her and we didn't tell you."
"I know everything." 9
Now she looks creeped out, "uh yeah, it's actually my recipe but she helped me prepare it."
"I guess that makes you my favorite Todoroki." 1
"Really?" she raises a brow at that statement.
"It's not that hard to do. Shoto sucks at literally everything in my eyes, as a person Enji is 'meh' at best. I count Endeavor separately so he's still great. But you've cooked for me and you're willing to stand up for your brother in the face of someone who can literally shut your brain off with a thought. How am I not supposed to like a woman like that?" 5
"Her eyes go wide in surprise. Can you really do that? The brain thing." 8
"No, but half the fun of my Quirk is that I can say crazy stupid things and people have to assume at least a little bit that I can really do it," he chuckles.
Fuyumi sighs and shakes her head. "I hope this isn't you trying to flirt with me. You're 16 but I can't date anyone so young, it'd just feel weird, not to mention I don't date heroes…plus, I'm a teacher so I'd feel extra creepy."
"This isn't that, I promise. You can't pay me enough to date someone with this much family baggage." 3
"Oh wow, exactly what I want to hear right now," she sighs. "It's already hard enough getting a date when people learn who my dad is, they're either scared of him or trying to use me to get to him…"
"One more reason to keep my identity private. So my kids won't have to deal with that crap one day."
"Yeah, you won't have any trouble finding someone, mister genius, doctor, hero, Quirk researcher," she rolls her eyes at how absurd his resume was. 4
"Plus handsome and rich, can't forget those."
"Sigh, because of course you are. Why did you decide to be a Pro Hero anyway? Adrenaline?"
"Nezu made me a deal, he'd get me something I want if I graduate UA, that's all."
"No wonder he published your Quirk Research paper on the official UA website."
"You read it?"
"All fifteen pages. All the genetics stuff about superhuman potential went a bit over my head, but seemed pretty smart. It's so weird for someone young to be an official Quirk Researcher, it's usually old men." 4
"Well that's because you need time and experience for it, that's why it's usually older doctors."
"Yet you did it at only 16."
"I've lived a lot of life," Horizon shrugs. 3
As Fuyumi is about to respond suddenly the entire house shakes violently.
Horizon instantly opens a ROOM and scans around, realizing the problem was just outisde.
With a deep sigh he gets up as she's trying to crawl under the table, thinking it was an earthquake.
"Not an earthquake, just dramatic people…" he slides open the paper doors leading to the courtyard for them to see what was happening.
Shoto had an absolutely furious look on his face in the middle of the courtyard. Across from him Endeavor was standing with a flame in his right hand. All around Endeavor was a massive pool of boiling water, and to the far sides were the massive ice shards that didn't instantly evaporate.
Shoto tried to use a Heaven Piercing Ice Wall, only for Endeavor to instantly melt it the moment it even got close to him, showing that as they are now, Shoto is nothing compared to his dad.
Endeavor deactivates his Quirk and just looks heartbroken as Shoto starts yelling.
"You think you can ever atone, that we'd ever forgive you! After you destroyed us! You tore us apart! You put mom in the hospital! And now you want to tell me that I can choose to stop being a hero?! If I stop now then what was all our suffering even for?!" 6
Shoto was seething with rage, and Endeavor just stood there, not saying a word to defend himself as his son stomped away into the house.
Shoto looks back over his shoulder to say one last thing, "I never want to see you again, consider this the end of my internship…" 1
Fuyumi breaks down into sobs and runs after her brother, and Horizon just shakes his head at all this family drama. 2
'This house really is a fucking mess…' 6
END CHAPTER– 3
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Chapter 78: CHAPTER 074(The Hosu Attack)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
–6 PM, Endeavor Hero Agency…
Stepping out of his room Horizon sees Burnin in full costume leaning against the opposite wall, giving him a vicious smile.
"Ready to get started rookie?"
"What are we even doing?" Horizon asks, falling into step beside her as they walk through the hallway to the elevator.
"Well, yesterday we got a request from the heroes at Hosu. Since Inginium died their organization sort of fell apart. His agency had 65 Sidekicks and he lead them all, they're still trying to figure out how to work without him leading." 1
"So they're like ants running about?" Horizon asks as they enter the elevator, noticing Burnin hitting the garage button.
"Pretty much, so they called us to send some people to help out on patrols, the rest of my team had the day shift."
"So we're the night shift…what about Endeavor?"
"He still hasn't left his office, he's been catching up on paperwork all day…very bad mood." 3
"Tch, so just us?"
"Yup, but you're supposed to be the strongest anyway, right?" Burnin shrugs. "Why? Are you worried? Isn't your catchphrase 'I'm enough'," she tries to copy his deeper mechanical voice and fails horribly. 1
"I don't have a catchphrase, but I am." 4
A moment later they arrive at the basement garage, and Burnin takes out a simple car key and leads him over to a basic and inconspicuous red car.
"I guess we're expecting a fight huh," Horizon says while getting into the front seat, having to adjust it for his size, and placing his sword in the back seat.
"Best to be prepared!" Burnin turns on the radio and begins singing loudly, not caring that she'll annoy him the entire drive.
Agency cars aren't uncommon at such top-tier Hero Agencies. Cheap and replaceable cars that look inconspicuous in most situations. Bought for transport and insured with the agency, completely expected to be destroyed if a Hero has to drive it to a combat zone.
BOOM!
1km outside of Hosu the car shakes violently as an explosion goes off in the distance. Horizon and Burnin see a massive fire tearing through the city and she immediately pulls over.
"What's going on?"
ROOM!
SCAN!
5km of information floods his mind.
"Nomu attack, two dozen of them, let's go." 2
SHAMBLES!
They both disappear and arrive at the heart of the action, a seven-story building was completely on fire, heroes already rising over as a swarm of grey Nomu are destroying everything. 4
'Grey Nomu, they can't regenerate according to the intel we have,' Horizon thinks as he rushes forward.
Charging a Nomu with four arms, 3 meters tall and lanky, brain exposed as per usual.
Two other heroes attack before he can close the distance, dressed as ninjas they throw a dozen shurikens each, all of which bounce off the monster.
BOOSTER SHOT!
INCISION!
Horizon slashing the Nomu in two, directly down the middle. Another slash cuts the brain in half. Looking back he sees Burnin rip a chunk of her hair out and hit a grey Nomu with it, completely exploding the top half of its body.
'Above,' Horizon senses a Nomu flying through the air and slashes at it.
AMPUTATE!
The winged grey Nomu gets slashed in two, hopelessly flailing as it falls to the road below. Burnin immediately pounces to finish it.
"Make me some rubble!" Horizon yells out. Shrinking his ROOM enough to encompass all the Nomus, allowing him to give them his full focus. 3
"I've got it," one of the nearby Pro Heroes yells out, a hulking figure with enlarged fists. He punches the ground and shatters the road, scattering rocks all across the street. 2
"Get away!" Horizon yells, and the nearby Pros understand exactly what he's about to do and get to his sides or behind him.
SHAMBLES!
A piece of rubble gets swapped for a nearby Nomu.
AMPUTATE!
He slashes it from range, leaving it flailing around on the floor as he repeats the process over and over.
One of the Nomu has some sort of speed Quirk and tries to rush him, but instead of warping away he simply raises a hand.
CURTAIN!
Every bone in the Nomus hand and arm shatter against the blue energy barrier, Horizon drops the barrier and slashes directly, cutting the monster in half.
Horizon immediately returns to the original plan.
Many of the Pros stand around ready to act in case his plan fails for some reason, while a few others try to get the fire under control.
And nearly twenty Nomu later, a black Nomu shows up.
'Shit,' Horizon immediately realizes what's about to happen. Burnin grabs a massive chunk of her hair and hurls it toward the pile of Nomus and the black Nomu all in one go. 1
All the other nearby heroes with ranged abilities do the exact same, stacking on the damage.
AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! AMPUTATE! 2
Sixteen slashes later there are massive slices in the road, and a pile of smoldering corpses burning in front of them.
Horizon could still feel the heat from the intense green flames Burnin made, the road melting away around and below the Nomu corpses.
"Let's get back to it…"
While Horizon and the Pro Heroes were finishing up the Nomu and putting out the fire, on a bullet train passing by Hosu another situation was happening.
Deku was wearing his new Hero Costume, pinned down to the floor by his internship mentor Gran Torino. An elderly white-haired man who was only 1 meter tall. Currently stepping on Deku's back with his yellow boots and leaning forward the push his face into the floor of the train.
Only a few feet away was the door of the moving train, and Deku was just about to reach for it when he got pinned down.
"What the hell are you doing brat?" Gran Torino asks.
"Going to Hosu," Deku says. "People there need my help."
"What about the people here?"
"What? The train is fine, my friend is in Hosu, I…I have a bad feeling, like I need to save him, please, let me go." 2
"Think about the situation more clearly," Gran Torino says. "You're on a moving bullet train, you open those doors or rupture the side of it and this thing stops, then whatever crisis is happening here has these passengers trapped in it too, is that what you want?" 1
"But…I…" Deku's voice shrinks and he just rests his head on the floor, mind and heart completely conflicted. "But he needs saving, I can feel it…I should have done more when I saw him." 8
"Perhaps, but your duty is the protect as many people as possible, that includes keeping these people away from that mess," Gran Torino sighs, seeing Deku making an angry face as some tears begin flowing.
Sitting on the floor beside Deku he gives him a pat on the head. "You're just like Toshinori, you know that?" 3
"What?" Deku looks at him in surprise.
"Yeah, no matter the situation he'd be unable to sit by when he knew someone needed saving, but that also caused him to make a lot of choices that he'd later regret. If that's the mindset you have, it will hurt even more if you ever fail, so you have all the more reason to master your Quirk and grow strong. That way you won't have to make the hard choices like these, you'll be able to save a lot more people than even him…"
Sitting up Deku wipes his tears, looking down the train cart at all the people staring out the window at the burning city, all the people he protected by simply allowing them to continue to the next stop.
Only fifteen minutes after the attack began, it was already dealt with.
Horizon and Burnin were currently standing to the side looking at the massive pile of incinerated meat, the road melted to such an extent that it was still bubbling and swelling the flesh.
While they were taking a breather the other Pros were helping the fire trucks put out the blaze as best they can, unfortunately, Manual, a hero with water manipulation isn't present at the moment to assist.
Standing beside Horizon, Burnin currently was missing almost all of her fiery hair, leaving her nearly bald. Her scalp was completely covered in small green flames. 4
"How come you didn't sense the Warp Gate?"
"Because I wasn't expecting one," Horizon shrugs.
"Any now?"
"No, I didn't sense any villains around in my range so I wouldn't know."
"I get it, its kinda like they sucker punched you, that makes sense. So what was your plan if I wasn't here?" Burnin asks.
"For what, the black Nomu?"
"Yeah."
"Well even compared to these the USJ Nomu was a lot stronger,the first one we dealt with, and the second one just had basic Power, and didn't have anywhere near as fast healing. I could have handled it solo."
"Maybe I should have let you," Burnin rubs her head.
Horizon chuckles, "how long does it take to grow back when you overuse it like this?"
"About twenty minutes when it's this extreme. If Endeavor were here he could have waved his hand and incinerated those healing bastards."
"Hmmm, I'm still trying to form something that can deal with them, I don't think I'll always have a top fire Pro in my pocket." 2
"Why not just make flames of your own?" Burnin asks.
"It's not that simple, I won't explain but let's just say I can't," Horizon says.
"But you can make lightning, that takes a lot more energy."
"I don't make lightning, I amplify my bioelectricity and bring it outward, completely different. And since I don't have a fire inside me I'd have to do a lot more work than it's worth." 4
"Ahh, I see…so what you're saying is," she looks up at him with her Cheshire smile, "I can do something mister miracle can't," she devolves into a mad cackle as they wait for the police to arrive in force and deal with this. 4
Horizon rolls his eyes, used to her antics and aggressive personality by now.
'Creating fire huh… focusing on such a small particle would exhaust me. And using TAKT to cause that much friction in anything would also entirely drain me, fire is just too damn erratic. Not to mention how much energy that would take…same reason I can't just warp around using dust in the air… 16
I'm sure I'll think of something to deal with the black Nomu, and I'll be ready if I ever see the USJ Nomu again…' 3
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 79: CHAPTER 075(Momo's Contract)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
–Saturday Afternoon, 7 PM…
After finishing his internship Horizon also completed his weekly appointment, and now he was ready to go home and train, now having a better understanding of exactly what he has to work on.
In the private underground garage of his Tokyo penthouse Law is dressed in a simple gold t-shirt with the Matani crest in black on the chest and a pair of black jeans. 4
Loading his Hero Costume case and sword into the trunk of his car he hops in the driver's seat and starts driving back to Musutafu, having to enter the city to then access the road to his home outside the city.
Placing his phone in the compartment on the dashboard it automatically connects.
"Call Nezu," he orders, and the phone begins doing exactly that.
Cruising down the street he hears the call connect.
"Hello?" Nezu asks.
"Yeah, I'm leaving Tokyo now, just wrapped things up at Endeavor's Agency."
"Oh, that's good. I'm dealing with some other problems at the moment, I assumed you call to find out about that…"
"What?" Law sounds confused. "I was calling to ask about that Support Item I requested."
"Oh, did you not see the news?"
"No, what's up?"
"Apparently during the Nomu attacks in Hosu two days ago, the Hero Killer Stain was busy, he killed three more people. They only found the bodies last night."
"While I was there? Must have been at the very edge of Hosu."
"It was, I'm currently dealing with a media nightmare because of it."
"Why? Who'd he kill?"
"Native, Manual, and your classmate, Tenya Iida." 50
"Ohh…so that's why the class group chat has been going extra crazy, that makes sense."
"You didn't look at it?"
"I assumed they wanted to ask about those two big incidents I resolved. I'm not gonna read two thousand messages from those people."
"Well everyone knows, and I've had a swarm of reporters at the gate ever since the bodies were found."
"Shit, Is this gonna make you close school, because the faster I get my item the faster I can get used to it."
Nezu sighs. "Well, I'm glad to hear how worried and heartbroken you are…" 1
"Heroes die every day Nezu, it's an occupational hazard. Plus I've only known him for 5 weeks, and we didn't exactly get along."
"Do you get along with anyone?"
"A few, mostly the pretty girls and Sero…" 9
"Right, well this shouldn't change anything with the school schedule. We'll offer to counsel any students who need it and your class will have a mandatory session talking to Midnight."
"Ugh."
"There will also be a special mourning ceremony Monday morning."
"So I should show up late to skip all that crap, thanks for the warning."
"We'd appreciate it if you can say a few kind words actually, since you are the 1A Class Rep."
Law laughs at that. "No." 5
Nezu sighs again, "fine, but please just show up on time for the ceremony, it won't be long."
"Yeah yeah, and how is the media dealing with this?"
"It's been a long time since we've had an active student die," Nezu says. "But with how many students have been killed due to the Nomu attacks on Hero Courses the public isn't reacting too poorly, in comparison we've only lost one student and it was away from campus." 3
"Uh-huh, and how do they feel about you letting him go to Hosu knowing that's where Stain likely was and his brother died there just over a week earlier? They could assume that it was a revenge scenario gone wrong," Law says.
"Some of them did, but we're fighting that idea with his pristine character. Also, I'm pushing media outlets to focus on your work from this week."
Law nods in agreement. "Show off that Horizon solved a hostage situation and dealt with about twenty Nomu while other Pros were mostly useless…prop up your best student so they don't notice the dead one." 6
"That's the plan, it's been mostly working to prevent people from digging deeper."
"Good," Law turns onto the highway to leave the city. "The last thing I need is UA being stalled for any reason, especially because some morons can't accept being a Hero is actually dangerous. Now that we're done talking about the shit I don't care about, what's the deal with my Support Item?" 5
"It's mostly complete, beyond your specification."
"Uh-huh, what do you mean mostly? How much longer?"
"It'll take one month for us to get a shipment of the alloy needed for the fuel cell. It's normally not used in objects this small so they have to make it custom." 2
"I really don't have a month to waste, the support course is gonna be open Monday right?"
"The design and construction studios are always open, and the person that's been assigned to you always arrives early and leaves late, she should even be there tomorrow when school isn't in session."
"And all she needs is this component?" Law asks.
"Exactly."
"Ok, can you send me the specifics of it, molecular makeup and all that…"
"If you're thinking of using Yaoyorozu, you should know that it's against regulations to use her Quirk like this because of the value of this component, and how easily it can be weaponized. You need approval, and she won't agree to help you."
"If I get it done can you handle the paperwork for me?" Law asks.
"Legally my answer is no, but good luck, I'll send you the data in a moment."
"Thanks, now I've got to call Momo…"
A few minutes later Law sends the data to Momo and immediately calls her.
"Hello," she answers on the very first ring, some excitement in her voice although he could tell she'd been crying.
Law just rolls his eyes, not having time for talking about Iida, "Momo, are you free tomorrow?"
He hears her drop the phone on what sounds like tiles before picking it back up. "Yes! I mean…it depends on what you want…" she tries her best to not seem interested, failing miserably. 2
And Law chuckles, he's far from an idiot, especially when it comes to women. He's known for a while that both Momo and Jiro somehow have an interest in him, there simply isn't any benefit to bringing it up.
He expects and hopes that it will fade as they come to their senses.
"Sorry to disappoint but not for a date," Law says jokingly.
"What! Why would I ever be thinking that?!"
"Uh-huh, no idea…anyway. Take a look at the item I sent you, how long until you can make it?"
"Give me one moment to look at it…"
Law waits patiently until he hears her answer.
"The mass of this, even for a two-inch cube is a bit much, it would take everything I have."
"Can you do it?"
"Yes, the material composition isn't that complex, at least for me, but I can imagine via technology getting these metals to bond in such an intricate manner is difficult."
Law sighs, "woman, the things I'd do to have your Quirk… Anyway, can you bring it to UA tomorrow morning? It's the last component I need for a support item, otherwise, I'll have to wait an entire month to get one made. Apparently, they don't fabricate that alloy in that size." 1
"I can understand why," Momo says. "These bonding agents work better the more mass the item has, making one of this size would cost a small fortune. But that's exactly why I can't help you. My Quirk prohibits creations such as these without permission from a relevant authority, I'm sorry but unless I receive clearance or it's an absolute emergency I can't help."
"The most fun Quirk and you've got a stick up your ass that prevents you from enjoying it…that's a damn shame."
"Hey!"
"I got permission from Nezu, he'll deal with the paperwork, so, tomorrow?"
"Alright, I'll help you out," Momo says, suddenly much happier.
"No, this isn't you helping me, it's a trade."
"What?"
"I really don't like owing people anything, so figure out something you want, within reason, and we'll make this a small contract. "
"Something I want? Like what?"
"How am I supposed to know, but this is a one-time thing so you'd better be smart about it."
"I already know what I want!" Momo suddenly blurts out.
"Wow, that was fast, ok what is it."
"Can you teach a class where you tell us all how to improve our Quirks? You said you already figured it all out right, so how about that? That way the most people will benefit!"
"You want me to spoon-feed 18 people the answers to fix their life as a Hero…no. That'll take too long."
"Um…then how about just some of us? Helping us to be better heroes?" she says in a timid voice.
Law sighs, "let me guess, you and Jiro?"
"Huh, how did you know I was going to include Kyoka?" 4
"Because you two do everything together, you're basically attached at the hip," Law says.
'You even have a crush on the same guy…' he thinks to himself. 11
"Kyoka and I are just fast friends, like you and Sero." 1
"Uh I wouldn't say that, but whatever. So tomorrow morning at the support department."
"We'll be there…" Law hangs up on her immediately and focuses on the road. 1
"Honestly, the things I do for Horizon…" Law mutters as he continues the journey home. 8
END CHAPTER– 13
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Chapter 80: CHAPTER 076(The Workshop)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead) 1
CHAPTER START– 2
Standing outside the support course design building Horizon is watching a video on his phone, having the audio played directly into his visor.
Not bothering to put on his uniform since it's Sunday he has his body glove and visor on. The boots from his Hero Costume. A pair of blue pants and a white t-shirt with his logo on the front in blue. And a white and blue hoodie with his logo on the back.
His Hero Costume case was in his hand along with his sword as he focuses on his phone, watching the same videos that has been circulating all day about the Hero Killer Stain. Exploring his past, motivation, and ideology.
"So do you own anything that isn't blue and white?" Power Loader asks as he walks up to Horizon. "Or that doesn't have your logo on it…"
"No," Horizon says as he puts his phone away, holding his Hero Costume case in his right hand and his sword in the left.
Power Loader nods for Horizon to follow him as they enter the building. "I hope you aren't a fan of that Stain guy," he says, overheating the video earlier and knowing what it was. 2
"He's a moron." 5
"Worse, he's a madman. Anyway about your request, it's not the first time we got a request for something like this, but without a Quirk that powers it the allocated budget for students just doesn't cover it, not to mention the legality of it." 1
"I figured Nezu wouldn't mind."
"He doesn't, only because it's you. He's not very subtle about that, even increased the allocated budget to your support equipment to compensate."
"Well it makes sense, I'm Horizon, it'll be worth it."
"Humility goes a long way kid."
"Not my style, anyway are you sure whoever he assigned to this project can actually do it? I was kind of hoping you'd make my equipment, as you did before UA."
"No can do," Power Loader says. "Having the Hero and Support courses work together like this is essential for development. But with that being said, before anything is handed over to our students for use it has to get approved by me first."
"And Mei got approved?"
"More often than not, she's a real genius when it comes to mechanical engineering. And she's not afraid to fail, that's important in learning. It's only been five weeks and she's already made twenty items. Not to mention she learns so fast that she's lightyears ahead of the previous top genius at this time in their school life."
Horizon looks down at Power Loader and raises a brow, "wasn't the top genius you?"
"Until her, yeah it was. But you know what they say, the rookies will tell you when it's time to quit…" 8
Arriving in front of a massive door Power Loader slides it open for them to see Mei sitting on the floor putting together some machine parts.
Mei Hatsume was a short girl with pink dreadlocks, only 157cm tall -5ft2-, currently wearing her uniform skirt under some coveralls that were tied off at her hips. And a black tank top covering her large chest. 4
"Mei!" Power Loader has to raise his voice to snap her out of her own little world.
Seeing Horizon she immediately hops up to her feet and rushes over, "hey mister famous, welcome to my lab!" Mei gestures to the workshop behind her.
Filled with her projects and tinkering, parts and pieces on desks and shelves along the walls. There were even a few suits of armor hanging from the ceiling on chains, a full mad inventors workshop.
"Well, I'll leave before something explodes," Power Loader says before rushing off.
"Uh, do things explode a lot with you?" Horizon asks, looking directly down at Mie who was staring up at him with those yellow crosshair pupils in her eyes. Since she's only an inch taller than Jiro she just barely reaches the middle of his chest, making him seem that much more imposing. 3
"Things explode sometimes, that's life. Don't worry nothing I have planned for you will do that." 1
"I hope not, so, how do we start?"
"Follow me!" Mei turns around and stiffly marches off.
'So normal people are rare in UA…' Horizon thinks. 5
He follows her over to a separate desk at the back of her lab that has a large metal case atop it. Mei opens the case to reveal his requested Support Item.
A metal device appears similar to a skateboard. Roughly 1 meter long and 25cm-10in- wide, but it was three inches thick, appearing like a slab of metal. Colored white with blue accents, and Horizon's logo at the top of it.
"Pick it up," Mei says. 1
"A bit heavy," Horizon says as he lifts it up, placing his case and sword down on the desk beforehand.
"50lbs, but it expands when powered up…hopefully, and gets a bit flatter. This is the compact form for transporting it."
Turning it to see the underside there are two large circles, at a glance he couldn't understand what they are or how they worked. His focus is on biology not technology after all. 2
"Repulsor lifts," Mei says. "They push against gravity to keep you in the air, it's the same tech the military uses for those fancy jets in America, but the civilian version. Because of that plus the power system it needs this baby costs more than the entire budget allocation to three other students put together, and you've still got room for more stuff. It's rare for anyone to ever even max out their budget considering Principal Nezu funds it."
"Is it really that big?"
Mei chuckles, "let's just say before we had that invention contest to decide who'd get to work with you…things got a bit..punchy." 1
"Were you winning?" 1
"I don't wanna talk about it. Anyway, I'm making your stuff now, that's all that matters." 1
"Fair enough, so about the hoverboard, specs?"
"When we get the power conduit…you should be able to match or move faster than any commercial plane, should be fun. And it can support four hundred pounds of weight." 5
"That's good, doubt I'll have any passengers but it's good to be prepared." 1
"Yup," Mei gives him a beaming smile, excited to see this invention come to life. "So, whatcha gonna name this baby?"
"What?"
"Well, every student names their equipment, like the Yaoyoletard, or the Uragautlets, that kinda thing." 1
"That's stupid." 1
"What about your sword?"
"Scalpel, but swords aren't clothes."
"Neither is a hoverboard."
"It doesn't need a name, Momo should be here in a few minutes, anything else I need to know." 1
"Yeah, you'll need these to stay on it," she fishes around to find a pair of boots just like his current set, but they felt slightly heavier.
"Magnetic?"
"The soles are a special material that the repulsor will pull toward the top of the board, that way you don't fall off at 600mph -965kmph-, that'd get messy."
"The Gs would kill me before that," he says. "My body can't handle that kind of strain, I can heal but that's only for so long. I'm not going that fast." 1
"Really? I thought you had Super-Strength or something."
"What? No." 1
"Well I mean, you said your Quirk can virtually do anything so everyone kind of assumed you'd have that," Mei shrugs. "But then again you talked so big but now we know you can't even fly…" 6
Horizon sighs, "I swear you people all act like everyone else in the world can fly, not being able to fly is normal." 2
"Sorry."
"Whatever, just tell me how to operate this hoverboard."
"Sure, it's super intuitive, you just have to…"
–5 Minutes later…
"Ok, anything else?" Horizon asks as she finishes explaining the details of his hoverboard.
"A lot of stuff actually," Mei says excitedly, getting very close to Horizon, but unlike the usual students he doesn't back away, standing his ground as her chest presses against his abs and she stares up at him hungrily. "You're already super famous, so I wanna upgrade all your things so people will know my name too."
"So branding?"
"Something you clearly know about, but I'll also give real upgrades, I've already considered a few."
"So you're basically using me as a model and billboard…Ok, let's hear them," she steps away and he leans back against the desk.
"First I was thinking of a new visor!"
"You can't change the look," he immediately says. "I don't exactly have a face so I can't go changing the visor all the time."
"Won't change anything about the look, but I saw the build for the current model, I bet with some time and that big budget you got I can use compression tech on it."
"In what way?"
"Think of something about the size of your phone, then you put it at the back of your neck, and BOOM! It expands around your head into the visor." 2
"So I can always have it on me."
"Yup," Mei says. "That way if it breaks and you can't breathe you at least can have a spare or two. I can't imagine it feels good having to wear that visor as a life support item all the time, this way you don't have to be worried about it breaking." 5
"That sounds perfect for me," Horizon says. "Anything else?"
"Retractable sword?"
"No." He gestures to his sword, "retractable swords are the first thing I researched, but the trade-off in durability isn't worth the portable nature of it, I need reliable things."
"That makes sense, I assumed the durability wouldn't matter since your sword never actually touches anyone."
"It does when I want to do real damage."
"Mhm," Mei taps her chin a few times as she considers what else there is. "Well, I guess all that's left are the body glove and Hero Costume. They were designed to be comfortable in a variety of natural temperatures but not much else, is there anything you want to add or adjust with it?"
"Actually…I've been ignoring equipment for a while so since I'm here…" 5
END CHAPTER–
Chapter 81: CHAPTER 077(Rebranding)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Walking through the halls of the support department engineering building Momo and Jiro were in full Hero Costume, with the former carrying a metal case at her side. 1
"I can't believe you got me into this," Jiro mutters, nervously twirling her Earphone Jack.
"Surprisingly he didn't even complain about it," Momo says. "I expected him to be strictly against teaching anyone, but he seems to be honorable about this agreement." 2
"Well he's full of himself," Jiro rolls her eyes. "If there is one thing we can count on, it's that Horizon always wants to look and be better than everyone around him."
"True, but he's also capable. Learning from him can do wonders for us."
"Yeah, but why'd you bother pulling me into it?"
Momo looks over at Jiro, genuinely confused as to why the answer wasn't obvious. "Because you're my friend, and improving is always better when it helps your friends as well, right?"
"You're too nice for this world Momo," Jiro mutters. "Let's just hope he isn't a jerk to you again, you didn't let me yell at him last time but I don't know if I can do that again."
"Kyoka, he wasn't trying to harm me with those words, I think they were his way of inspiring me." 4
"Well a Hero isn't supposed to talk to a crying girl like that, they're supposed to say nice things."
"Well that's why he's at UA, to learn things like that," Momo says as they arrive at the door to Mei's lab. 3
Momo politely knocks before sliding the door open, then she freezes.
Staring forward with wide eyes as her face goes beet red.
Jiro raises a hand to cover her eyes, but still peeks through her fingers like the closet pervert she is. Constantly looking away but unable to resist stealing glances at the scene. 3
Standing in the middle of the room was Horizon, only wearing his body glove and visor, all his clothes neatly folded off to the side. All his muscles were and the clear separation of them was visible for the first time since they'd known him. Still somewhat hidden by the layer of white fabric, but enough to leave a very clear image of what was hidden below.
This alone would have been enough to make both girls into a sputtering mess, but he was facing to the side, giving them a full view of what was going on.
In his hands, supported by the one hand so clearly cupping her ass was Mei Hatsume, still fully dressed and currently having her legs wrapped around his waist as best they could. Both her hands carefully feeling the muscles on his chest and his abs, trying to memorize every surface of his body. All with an excited smile on her face. 13
Horizon's free hand is what fried Momo and Jiro's brains, as it was currently freely cupping Mei's breast over her tank top, clearly enjoying itself, gently kneading her, not even stopping as he looks over at his classmates. 3
"Um, SORRY TO INTERRUPT!" Momo yells and pulls the door shut, heart pounding in her chest.
Beside her Jiro wasn't faring much better, but Momo knew she had to take the lead.
'I can't just be a coward about this,' she thinks. 'I have to act as if nothing happened, as if…as if the boy I like wasn't just…just, why was he even holding her chest?!' her face shifts from surprise and embarrassment to frustrations and a bit of jealousy.
Jiro just raised a hand to her mostly flat chest, now feeling much worse about her tiny proportions. She glances over to Momo to see the girl take a deep breath and puff up her chest, clearly subconsciously trying to make a show of her assets as she opens the door.
Opening the door they see him gently set Mei down on her feet, and they both just look over at Momo and Jiro.
"Did you bring it?" Horizon asks, and Momo just wordlessly lifts the case, never taking her eyes off Mei while Jiro continues to stare at the floor. 1
"YES!" Mei rushes off and snatches the case out of Momo's hand, then charges away to complete the hoverboard.
Watching her rush off Horizon turns to both girls, seeing their reactions to what they walked in on, but just ignores it. "So, guess I've got to give you a rundown of this Hero stuff so w–"
"Are you friends with that girl?" Momo interrupts him, eyes glued to the back of Mei's head.
"Not really."
"Oh, but you were just…you had your hand on her… it's just that–"
"It's really none of your business," Horizon says. "But if you must know, she gets a bit invasive when taking measurements, I thought it was only fair I return the favor," he shrugs. 5
"You expect us to believe that?" Jiro asks.
"Believe what you want, I really don't care either way. So, who's first?"
Neither girl answers, so Horizon just sighs. "Fine, I'll start with the easy one, Jiro."
"Excuse me?!" 1
"Not like that, pervert. I'm talking about the Pro Hero crap."
"Uh, sorry, yeah I'm listening," Jiro says.
"Ok so half of being a Pro Hero is the public image, the other half is being useful. All you need to do is use your Quirk more and train it harder, you can figure that out yourself. 1
The problem is your Hero Costume just screams 'I went dumpster diving at a rock concert and found this trash,' it's ugly." 8
"HEY! My style is punk rock!"
"Yeah, and it's great for the 1% of people who like that style. But for everyone else you're just a tiny girl in some ugly clunky boots, a top that does fit and has rips in it, and a jacket that isn't sure what it's supposed to be. The average person probably thinks you look like you bought it in a thrift shop."
Jiro bites back all the angry things she wanted to yell at him and just grits her teeth, taking a deep breath and hearing him out. "Ok, so what do you suggest?"
"Get something more functional and sleek, you don't need to go with a skin-tight suit but just something that isn't as baggy for villains to grab onto, not that they should ever be that close to you.
You also want to change your equipment, amps in your boots are ok but you need to extend your Earphone Jacks all the way down to your feet, that takes time and increases the surface area of a target for the enemy.
Get a pair of headphones or something that you can just plug into and send sound to the other speakers on your body."
"Yeah that makes sense," Jiro says. "At the USJ I couldn't use my Quirk when Kaminari got held hostage because the guy could see it moving to my boots. If I had it plugged in closer to my ears it'd be easier."
"Exactly. You also need a mask. I know you people are complete fucking idiots who want to be celebrity heroes, but the mask isn't just for you. It's so people don't see your face and track you down to kill the people you care about. Don't be a selfish moron, wear a mask."
"That's why you wear a mask?"Jiro.
"I too must admit I've been curious," Momo says. "But I assumed it was simply either part of your face or to help with daily life, that would make it very rude of us to ask, so please don't answer if you don't want to…"
Since in this world the 'human' form is so vast and varied, having someone with his visor as their genuine face isn't such a stretch so nobody genuinely thought about it, already used to growing up around Mutation and Transformation Quirk users of all sorts.
"I get that you could have assumed that, but I figured when you heard my name it would have been obvious that the visor is mostly just that," he says. "Did you think my parents wrote 'Horizon' on my birth certificate? I'm obviously hiding my identity. The better question is why aren't any of you?"
"Huh, but why would you do that?" Jiro genuinely asks, and Horizon feels a small spike of anger at how sincere it was. "Don't you want the world to see how cool you are? Isn't that what you're all about?"
"Do you have a family?" Horizon asks Jiro.
"Uh, yeah, it's just me and my parents…"
"Good, and how would you feel if… let's say you spent all day saving people you don't know, then went home to find your family dead because some villain you once fought saw your face, got your name, then got your address?"
They both wince at that.
"Some people like Shoji and Mina can't really hide their identities…which is why I honestly wouldn't be here if I was that recognizable, but for those who can, you should, you always should," his voice takes a serious and almost warning tone.
"To me, no faceless nameless mob of useless civilians will ever be worth risking my family, so I wear this somewhat inconvenient body glove and visor whenever Horizon goes out. Because I'm sure the one in a hundred, or maybe a thousand heroes that loses their family because they stupidly decided not to wear a mask wishes they were as…admittedly paranoid, as I am." 7
"I see," Momo mutters quietly. "So it's a sacrifice for the people you love, like you said at the sports festival. Everything is for your future family…"
"I'm not losing my kids or having them get hounded because I selfishly wanted to be a celebrity," Horizon says. 2
Both girls feel their hearts melt at those words. 3
"The final thing is your god awful Hero Name, seriously, Earphone Jack. Any monkey can think of that, and it wouldn't even be the most creative one it thought of." 3
"But it's simple and effective," Jiro says.
"I like her Hero Name," Momo adds, causing Horizon to look at her.
"Really, the girl who named herself 'Creati,' which sounds like a name you pulled out of a picture book for retarded children, the same book with great names like Pinky, Froppy, Uravity, Anima…you like Earphone Jack…what a surprise." 8
Momo looks down at the floor, having the name she's been excited to make her own for the past 8 years completely bashed by Horizon of all people. 1
"But what's wrong with that?" Jiro asks. "Hero Names are supposed to be fun and make people smile right?"
"No, what kind of moron thinks like that. Your entire image is supposed to be built so people know you've got things under control when you arrive. You have to properly cultivate your image, without a good one you'll never get into the top rankings."
"Unless we do excellent work," Momo adds.
"No, that's not enough. People like cool shit, 'Earphone Jack' is lame. You have to think about your image more. You know why I chose my name, but my costume is also part of it. My colors are white and blue, the same colors as surgeons and nurses.
Widely recognized as positive and lawful colors. It calms people down when they see a guy in a white suit. 6
My sword is a Katana. I personally prefer a broadsword but I'm using this because all around the world people fetishize Katanas as this honorable thing. I use a Katana, suddenly I look more heroic. Especially since the blade is white with a blue edge."
"Wow, you put a lot of thought into this stuff," Jiro says. "And here I thought you didn't care about this…"
"I have more reason to care than any of you, Aux." 5
"Aux?"
"My suggestion for a new Hero Name, short and cute like you, and people can actually chant it. Also, it's not that far from Earphone Jack, all without sounding lame." 3
"Huh, I like it," Jiro says, giving him a beaming smile.
"IT'S DONE!" Mei loudly interrupts them, holding the hoverboard in her hands. "Check it out."
The first thing Horizon notices is that all the bits of blue are glowing slightly, and that she's casually moving around what was 50lbs as if it were nothing.
And as she hands it over, he realizes it's weightless.
"Wow, nice."
"Yup, my babies are the best! I'm sure we'll make some great babies together!" Mei cheers. 6
Momo and Jiro gape in shock, and Horizon doesn't bother explaining. "Great, you and Jiro can talk about her upgrades while I take this for a spin…and give Momo some training."
"Shouldn't I be there for training too?" Jiro asks.
"Nope, it's just the basics of how she should use her Quirk, I can't give her any real training."
"Why not?" Momo asks.
"I'm not training either of you because it's a waste of time for me to train beautiful women, they just won't try hard enough," Horizon shrugs. 2
Momo blushes while Jiro gets pissed at those words, "what the hell kind of sexist thing is that?! Where did you even learn something so stupid?!"
"My mom," Jiro immediately freezes, taking one scared step back as all the color drains from her face.
"Uh, I mean…I'm sorry, it's just that…why did she say that?"
Horizon just shakes his head and sighs, "because, beautiful women can always quit and find someone to take care of them or some other shit like that. You always have an easy way out. The way I train will make you want to take that easy way out…so I rather train someone who I know won't quit and waste my time." 12
"So you won't train us because you think we're beautiful?" Jiro asks, completely confused. 2
"Exactly. Now, let me get dressed and we'll get out of here Momo." 1
"Right!"
ROOM
SHAMBLES
Horizon's clothes suddenly appear on his body, all but his boots. Walking over to Mei's workstation he takes the new boots and begins putting them on manually.
After putting them on he looks up to see Momo and Jiro staring at him while Mei was already tinkering with something else.
"What?" he asks.
"You were doing it like a normal person," Jiro says. "Why didn't you warp them on like usual?"
Because they're new.
Because he hasn't been attuned to them.
Because he can't.
"Because I felt like it," he says, picking up his sword and hoverboard and walking toward the door. "Hey Mei, Jiro needs a full design overhaul, you should take her measurements!" 12
"Ahh!" Jiro shrieks as she feels a pair of hands roaming her legs and chest.
Momo looks over at her, not sure what to do, both her and Jiro already blushing and Mei ignores all social norms to get her precise measurements, tackling the tiny girl to the floor, exactly like Horizon said. 2
"Hey, what are you doing? Don't touch that!" Jiro yells out, looking to Momo for help. 2
"We're gonna make some great babies!" Mei says with a manic look in her eyes. 4
"Momo! C'mon!" she hears Horizon call out from the door.
Momo gives an apologetic look and wishes her luck before rushing out of the room. 2
Abandoning her best friend to be molested by UA's resident mad scientist… 13
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 82: CHAPTER 078(Glass Ceiling)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"You're already quite good at that, most impressive," Momo says.
Currently, she was walking down the sidewalk over to a large grassy area of UA where the trees were spread out. They couldn't see a few students scattered about on the grass studying, and eventually found a spot they liked.
All the while Horizon was flying about on his hoverboard as if it were the most normal thing in the world.
"That's why I chose a hoverboard," he says.
"What do you mean?"
"I like surfing, skating, and longboarding, those skills transfer to this really well. And since I've been doing them all my life this is as natural as breathing." 1
"Oh, so you chose something you wouldn't have to learn from the ground up."
"Yup, Mei's originally countered my suggestion with a jetpack since she already had a prototype made, then she tried to get me to wear some rocket boots. But this way I have one less thing to constantly practice…plus…those other things look way too goofy. This is more elegant and graceful." 4
"Public image," Momo says as they arrive at a large tree with nobody nearby, a few groups of students scattered about in casual clothes studying for the upcoming mid-terms.
"Yup, now take a seat and we can start."
"Alright," Momo makes a blanket and sets it down on the grass, dropping down to her knees and looking up at him as he sits on the hoverboard.
It had now shifted into its expended form, larger, 30cm wide and 120cm long, becoming slightly thinner as the parts adjusted themselves to widen the surface area. Still in his white and blue with the blue accents glowing. And two glowing blue circles on the underside of it keeping him above the floor.
Horizon sat atop it with his sword laying across his lap and feet hanging over the edge. Casually looking down on her. 1
"Before we start, how come neither of you asked me about that whole Iida situation?" he asks.
"Oh, well. Everyone had been talking about it in the group chat the past few days and you never joined. We figured you wanted to grieve in your own way and not talk about it." 4
"Sure, good call. I don't wanna talk about it," Horizon says. That simply sounded much better than 'I couldn't care less that my classmate is dead.' so he just let them think what they want. 6
"Alright, now where do we begin?"
"Yeah, not sure with you exactly, normally I'd start with the first impression you give, but I mean," he gestures to her. "The bimbo suit works for what you want so I guess it's fine…"
"Excuse me?"
"What?"
"Bimbo suit?"
"Yeah, your Hero Costume, aren't you gonna be one of those heroes that just shows off her tits to get easy money?" 10
Momo jumps up to her feet to get in his face, "I'm trying to become a hero to help people! Not to show off my body for attention! How dare you assume such disgusting things without even asking me!"
"But you went to Uwabami? She's like in the top 3 bimbo heroes, why else would you go there?" 1
Momo freezes, then drops back down to the blanket, "she was the highest ranked Hero that requested I come intern with her. I didn't know we'd just be her personal assistant and model in some stupid commercial…"
"Oh, so you didn't do research and wasted your time…like a fucking retard." 5
Momo looks like a kicked puppy at that statement, "I'm already so far behind, and I wasted an entire week while others were getting ahead." Momo was almost to the point of tears just thinking about her wasted time.
"Is that why you were crying yesterday?"
She nods weakly.
"Huh, I assumed it was for Iida."
"Him too," Momo says. 5
Horizon sighs. "Alright, fine, well like I told Jiro, public perception is everything. And the first thing the public sees when you dress like that is just a pair of great tits and a pretty face, at that point they've already made up their mind about you. Because of that, you'll never get to the very top ranks."
"But Mirko is very attractive and she's up there."
"She also doesn't have her tits falling out of her top and is such a meathead that she never plays up the cute stuff. Her brain is just one veiny muscle that counters the usual public perception. You won't have that." 14
"But if I work hard and just do my job well would that matter?" Momo asks, and Horizon groans.
"Ok let me put it like this. Midnight is basically the queen of the bimbo heroes. She has a perfect and exemplary record, a crap ton of incidents resolved and big villains defeated. But she never gets into the top few thousand. No matter what she does she'll never get there, because other Pros know she's capable.
The Hero Commission knows she's capable. Even Nezu bringing her into UA isn't enough. It's no accident that she's the only hero at UA that can't get into the top 10k. 1
Japan is a conservative society. She perfectly crafted the image of some sex-crazed whore. She's never had a single scandal aside from the government asking her to put on more clothes, and because of her need to sexualize everything and show off her body they make sure that no little girl sees enough of her to think 'I wanna be just like Ms. Midnight when I grow up.' Get it? 2
And you're about to be in the exact same boat. I suggest you call Uwabami and cut yourself out of that commercial as a start."
Momo falls silent for an entire minute as she considers what to say, then looks up at him.
"But my Quirk requires exposed skin, what about that? What if I can't save someone because of it? Shouldn't people be able to look past my body and see me as a hero?" 9
"In a perfect world you can wear whatever you want, but this isn't a perfect world. In fact it's so far from perfect that being Hero is a job. 2
People look at you and see a pretty face and amazing body, and since so much of it is being shown they will make assumptions. You're 11/10 fuckable and they know it, so just avoid this entire problem by changing your brand. 1
Just wear a crop top and some shorts, same surface area. Or you can just use a zipper. Honestly, I assumed you just wore the bimbo suit because you liked it….didn't think you were dumb enough not to think of a zipper." 8
Momo smacks herself on the forehead, "I can't believe I didn't think of that!"
"Wow, so you are that much of a dumbass…every time I think you people have a brain your prove me wrong… 5
Anyway, I recommend the first option, you still don't want your tits to be on tv. And as for saving people, you can always just make more clothes if needed, not to mention the higher your rank the more team-ups you get called in for so the more people you get access to. Endeavor got like three requests every day, because they know that since he's high rank he'll be able to cover their weaknesses if things go wrong."
"I see, and what do you suggest? Just a crop top and pair of shorts?"
"And a mask, you want to separate Momo and Creati…oh, we'll also have to change that horrific name." 1
"But I've always wanted that name, I thought of it when I was 8."
"It shows, and it's stupid. Creati only tells people that you can make shit, but it doesn't make them feel anything. Most Quirks can't deliver that sense of awe, but yours can." 1
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Go biblical, I named my Quirk Hand Of God to make a real statement, so why not reference the act of true creation."
"Oh…Genesis?" 14
"Exactly, sounds a lot more epic than Creati. And it's actually a full word."
"I'll do it!" Momo says, a broad smile on her face. "You really did put a lot of thought into what it means to be a Pro Hero. Meanwhile all anyone else is doing is training."
"Well, that's because you're all morons," Horizon shrugs. "Now let's talk about your Quirk and fighting style." 2
"Mhm," Momo's expression gets serious, knowing this is what she's been struggling with since joining UA. "As you know my Quirk lets me create non-living objects from the lipids in my body. As for my fighting style…I've been struggling with that lately."
"I noticed," Momo feels a jolt of shame and embarrassment at that. "The problem with your style is that you don't understand how to cheat." 1
"How to cheat?"
"Yup. Your Quirk is similar to mine in some regards. We have a deep bag of tricks that can counter many situations, because of that in some cases it's easier to react than act."
"Yes, if I can know what the enemy can do then fighting them is infinitely easier."
"Same for me, but unlike you, my attacks don't drain my body in the same way. You have a finite amount of ammo that can't be replenished without food. Because of that, you need to cheat. 4
Think of it like rock-paper-scissors. If you know the opponent has rock, you will throw paper. In this case, if the enemy is Kaminari, you make the insulation blanket you've used before, right?"
"Right. But what if I don't know?"
"Then you cheat, you either avoid the first hit or bait them into showing their move, then you figure out what you need to counter them, then you win. This works better with knowledge before the fight or if you have an ally that can take the first hit for you.
But you can use it solo if you're good enough at understanding a situation and thinking quickly, you're good at the former, but I can see on your face that you overthink during fights."
"Yes, that has been a problem. That cost me during the sports festival."
"Yup, all you had to do was be patient, and the moment he softened the stage you make a pole directly down to vault toward him, easy win, but you threw your hand at the same time as him when you made a sword and shield. It's not a bad start, but this time he had paper and you had rock." 1
"So I should focus on my ability to adapt to an ever-changing battlefield and think more quickly. So combat training?"
"Yes, and you also need to have standard responses. That way you don't have to actually think. Our Quirks require a lot of steps before we can actually use them, the more comfortable you are and familiar you are with an action the smoother and faster it becomes. Think of it like this…
Electric villain-insulation.
Fire villain-fire suppressant foam.
Power-type villain-either capture items or tase them. 3
Or stall until backup arrives. Currently, your big attack is making two canons, that's stupid.
I get that you can't make guns and some other weapons, so the government lets you make things that other people generally can't arm, but there are so many steps between staff and canons. The energy use is just too much in most cases for you to just use it on one big shot. 1
Your quirk is for combat support, like Jiro, don't forget that. Just like her, you should be very careful about getting close to them, even if you do have some combat training, it will eventually fail if you keep testing it."
Momo takes a moment to process everything he just said, then takes out her phone to make sure she doesn't forget anything.
"Alright, and what about my Quirk?"
"Well, you've got me for a while since I need to fly around to get used to this," Horizon takes out his phone and calls Momo. "Keep me on speaker."
Standing up he looks around and gets ready to fly around for a bit and familiarize himself with the hoverboard and new boots.
"We'll start small. In parallel processing, you need to be able to think about two actions at one at the same time. Focus on making marbles in the material I name. The first is for the left hand, and the second is for the right, at the same time. Then we'll move onto bigger more complex objects."
"OH!" Momo says. "I get it, you noticed I've only been making one object at a time until now. And when I make multiple it's always something simple and of the same material, you're very observant."
"Well I like looking at you, start with copper and nickel, tell me when it's done…" he flies off, staying low to the ground and weaving between the trees. 1
"Hmm, so he likes looking at me," she giggles quietly to herself. Feeling a bit of triumph over Mei. 4
"I can hear you," Horizon's voice comes through the speaker of her phone, causing her to blush up a storm. "Get to work." 2
"YES SIR!" Momo immediately raises her hands and begins focusing on the materials she wanted to create. 1
Intent on not wasting a single precious minute of her training time with Horizon…
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 83: CHAPTER 079(Therapy)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"Iida was one of my best friends, and it's my fault he died," Deku says. 27
It was now after lunch, the first Monday after their internships, and he was sitting opposite Midnight on a couch in the teacher's lounge. He wipes his tears and sniffles as she carefully takes notes. 4
"What do you mean it's your fault?" Midnight asks. 2
"I knew something was wrong," Deku confesses. "I felt it, I wanted to ask him more, about his brother, about how he was feeling. But he'd always smile and tell me he'll be ok. But he always looked like he was angry inside, like he needed someone to save him from that anger…he was my friend, and I didn't save him."
"So you feel guilty because you think you could have done more?"
"I could have done more. If I just acted he would still be here, he'd still be alive. And I had another chance. a second chance at Hosu."
"At Hosu?"
"Gran Torino and I were on a train moving past the city when the attack happened. I knew I had to go help, that my friend was in trouble and if I didn't help something bad would happen. I knew he needed me to save him, but I couldn't go…"
"Hmm, before you said you 'didn't' save him, now you say 'couldn't', what changed?"
"We…we were on a bullet train. I was about to force the doors open when Gran Torino tackled me… he told me that if anything like that happened the train would stop, and everyone on it would be stuck in Hosu with the villains that were attacking.
He told me that I had to do what would keep the most people safe…I hated it. I hated it so much! I knew I had to save him but I just…I just gave up and rode the train to Shibuya.
And after all of that Horizon showed up and barely anyone got hurt!
He dealt with the Nomus before they got anywhere near the tracks! I could have gone and saved Iida and everyone on the train would have been fine! 8
I let my friend die!"
Deku was desperately panting at the end of his rant, clutching his chest as Midnight slides the box of tissues closer to him.
"What you feel is entirely normal for Heroes Midoriya," Midnight says.
"Really?" he says after wiping his tears. "Other heroes feel like this?" 1
"Of course. The entire basis of our profession is asking 'what if?' What if a villain attacks? What if someone gets into an accident? What if nothing happens? 6
Because of this, we do have to make the choices that will protect the most people, but sometimes that choice means we know there are some people that we aren't saving at the moment.
There will always be people in the world that need saving but we can't help them, and no hero can save everyone in the world. Not even All Might.
But in situations like what you were in you also have to consider the possibilities. Instead of judging your past self based on what you know now, consider the information you had at the time.
What if Horizon wasn't there? What if the Nomus did make it to the track after you stopped the train? What if those people got put in danger and Iida was fine?
I know this may seem cruel, but you made the right choice with the information you had. Adding more people to the list of potential victims is never the right choice.
This is one of the most difficult lessons any Hero can ever have the misfortune to learn, I just wish you didn't have to learn it so early in your career." 5
A pregnable silence fills the room as Deku considers everything she just said. But he couldn't get over it. He couldn't forgive himself for not acting, for ignoring his instincts, for letting his friend die. 1
"But what if I was strong enough?" Deku asks. "What if I could save everyone? What if I can protect all my friends in the future?" 1
"What exactly are you thinking Midoriya?" Midnight asks, raising a brow at the frustrated look on his face.
"That I'll train harder. If I had full control of my Quirk I could have saved everyone, my friend would still be alive. He died because I'm so weak… it's all my fault–" 7
"It's not your fault."
"He died because I was weak!" Deku freezes, then takes a moment to calm down just a bit. "Sorry for yelling." 7
"It's fine."
"I just want to be stronger. Strong enough that I never have to choose. That I can save everyone. That I never have to ignore my instincts again…because I'm sorry if it makes me a bad Hero, but I'll never be able to live with myself if I know someone needs saving and don't do everything to save them…" 6
Giving him a look of pity and sympathy Midnight sighs. "An admirable goal, but if you're sticking to it then you have a lot of work to do, Deku," she makes sure to call him by his Hero Name this time, managing to get a small smile on his lips. 10
"I'll keep everyone safe." 3
"Good, just don't put everything on your shoulder to the point that you subconsciously view your friend and peers as useless, alright? Things are easier if you have people supporting you. Your Quirk is strong, but don't get the idea that you can do anything and don't need anyone. We've got one person like that here, and that's more than enough." 5
"I promise I won't."
"Good, now head back to class and send me Horizon…" 1
One minute later as Midnight is finishing up her notes on Deku Horizon appears on the couch opposite her. 1
Without swapping for any object. He no longer needs to swap to move himself about within UA's main campus since he's been constantly using his Quirk here for weeks.
"Horizon, how have you been?" Midnight asks, completely used to him abruptly warping about campus.
"Great actually," he leans back against the couch, getting more comfortable. "Can you just mark this therapy thing as complete so I can go?"
"You don't think you need any guidance."
"Well I'm not a pussy, so no. Plus, are you even qualified?" 5
"I'm a certified counselor, just like Hound Dog, but he's more for disciplinary matters. This requires a woman's touch." 1
"All I heard is that I'm still the only doctor in this room." 11
Midnight sighs, "Nezu says it's mandatory, that means you have to stay and talk to me."
"I don't 'have' to do anything, but fine."
"Alright, how about we just get to the point here, since you clearly hate the idea of talking about your feelings. How do you feel about Iida? Especially since you were in Hosu when it happened." 1
"Heroes die every day, it happens. And as for me being in Hosu, that doesn't mean I knew he was there," Horizon shrugs.
"So you don't feel anything? Someone you spent the past month getting to know is gone and you're…fine?"
"I barely even knew him, and he certainly didn't like me, I'll be fine."
"Really, and you think this is normal?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well… you're the only one of your classmates that hasn't been affected by this event, don't you think that's odd?" 1
"No," he shakes his head. "I'm used to being the only person in the room that isn't some pathetic weeping bitch. You just can't recognize that I'm perfect because you're so used to dealing with trash…" 8
'Wow…now I see why almost everyone complained about him…and I need to talk to her about the kind of men she's attracted to…' Midnight thinks as she takes some notes. 3
"Do you ever think that this attitude of yours can cause problems in your life?"
"What attitude?"
"Well, your view on things and people is extremely callous, and some might even say toxic."
"Why would I care what people think?" 1
Midnight sighs, "how about we start from where you learned this, what were your parents like?"
Horizon sits up and leans forward, voice becoming a low growl, "mmmm, don't go there." 1
Midnight sees her opening, realizing that his emotions only truly showed when this topic came up, so she decided to push her luck. Unlike at the sports festival, he couldn't simply attack her here, this was her chance to understand him better and help him become a kind and caring hero. 17
"I'm just concerned for you. From what I can see they instilled in you some problematic views. Perhaps they didn't show you enough affection?" she sees his hands gripping his pants, a good sign that she's pushing all the right buttons. 9
'He's probably two seconds from going on a rant about how perfect they were, giving me all the information I need.' 1
"I'm quite fine with affection, they taught me perfectly," he growls out.
"Really? Because with the way you act I imagine it will be difficult for that goal of yours. You confessed to the entire world that you want a family one day, kids of your own. But do you think anyone wants to be in a relationship with someone so cold and uncaring, or much less have children with you?"
"And what the hell would you know about any of that, you think I want to be with someone like you?" 1
"Oh please," Midnight raises her hands to show off her chest and fluff her hair, giving him her most seductive look. "What man wouldn't want a woman like this? You'd be lucky to have me…"
As she says that Midnight notices Horizon suddenly gets relaxed, comfortably leaning back against the couch and putting one hand up on the backrest. And Midnight suddenly feels like she went from being in a room with an erupting volcano to sitting in front of a hungry tiger. 7
"Well not exactly, I mean you're just not that type of woman.
Oh don't get me wrong, almost all men would be lining up to fuck you, personally, you're exactly what I'm looking for when I'm traveling and only staying in places for a week or two.
Atleast to the public you are…that's the idea, right? That you're just another dumb bimbo trying to find horny men. The cum rag that Pro Heroes pass around behind the scenes, right? 2
So yeah I'd have you for as many nights as it takes to get bored…but only for the nights.
I'd never parade you around to my friends. And I'd certainly never let you meet my parents if they were still around. You'd never be my girlfriend, and you'd never get a ring…just like you don't have one now? And you probably never will." 19
Midnight keeps her composure, letting him get it all out and taking careful note of what he says and how he says it. "Some women don't want to get married."
"More like you just can't even if you tried," Horizon says. "I mean who would want you? You're supposedly the whore of our nation's Heroes, nobody wants to be the guy with the wife a hundred people have fucked. And you're already 32. 4
You're tits and ass are either sagging or about to. Your face is gonna be wrinkled soon. You bet everything on sex appeal and destroyed your future, and it's all about to run out. 6
Now no man will take you seriously, you'll probably never have kids. Your hero career will always be suppressed by the government because you're a horrible role model for your girls. 1
You're the definition of a leftover woman. You're gonna die alone, and before you die you'll already be forgotten. 17
Compared to that, I'm Horizon. Most valuable man in the world. I've got everything, I'm a miracle, I'm perfect. I never need to settle for less, I'll have all the women I want and all the kids I want to have. 1
And you would have lucky to even get a night with a man like me, because you'd never get more than being our toy for the night, and he'd certainly never consider making you anything with a title. 9
So remind me please…why the fuck do you think you're in a position to comment about how my parents raised me or how I'm living my future?" 1
He puts his other hand on the backrest of the couch and relaxes even further, waiting for her feeble reply.
Taking a deep breath Midnight releases a deep sigh and shakes her head. "Alright, this session is over, you can head back to class now…" 7
"That's the first useful thing that mouth has done all conversation," Horizon says before he warps back to class, leaving her alone in the room.
Midnight just rolls her eyes and begins jotting down notes, but as she gets to the last line.
Tears start falling onto the page. 41
Now alone her professional and stoic mask breaks, and all the things he said suddenly become infinitely more real.
Only seconds later she devolves into a weeping mess. And the last thing she wrote in her notes… 21
'Don't talk about his family…' 52
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 84: CHAPTER 080(Exam Preparations) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in Nezu's office Law was enjoying a meal bar, waiting for the principal to enter.
And a few moments later he walks through the door holding a stack of papers under his arm.
"So, how was your internship?" Nezu asks as he walks over to his desk to get to work.
"Eventful and successful. Endeavor agreed to give me a contract once I get my Provisional License."
"Oh, that's incredible, but expected for you I'm sure."
"Naturally. What's with the papers?"
"Let's I need to sign and send it to the concerned parents. People are worried about the safety of their children. And I need to send in another official report to the Hero Commission. 2
And what do you think of the Hero Killer Stain?" Nezu asks.
"Is that why you asked me to come here in person, scared I'll switch sides?"
"No I asked you to come to see me so we could discuss another matter entirely, but I figured we could get to this first."
"Alright," Horizon finishes his meal bar. "Stain is a dumbass, and like it or not heroes are a necessity. A lot of them are useless and shouldn't have licenses but I'm not gonna go kill them because of it…that'd null my contract."
"And it's wrong to do that."
"Whatever…" 1
"Well that's good to hear, still somewhat concerning but good," Nezu says without looking up, still signing papers. "Those posts you made after the bank incident and the Hosu City attack were a great help in preventing UA from being bashed. Thank you for that."
"Miracles are what I do remember, what about the Provisional License Exam?"
"I already signed you up, and I assume you'll be training even more for it. Some people may try to target you to test themselves. You've got seven weeks before it's time for that."
"Only a moron would attack me intentionally. That's like handing me free points, or whatever they rate based on. But yeah I'll amp up the training even more."
"Don't forget your Mid Term exams also start this week."
"Ugh, that's so annoying."
"I don't see why you're groaning, you don't even have to study for it…"
"Doesn't mean I like them. Usually I either train my Quirk or sleep during classes, now I'll have to stay awake and write some stupid exams." 1
"I'm sure it won't be that bad."
"We'll see, so what'd you want to talk about anyway. I'd like to get to my training ground and get to work."
"Two things, the first being your counseling session," Nezu says. "Did perhaps anything interesting happen during it?" 1
Horizon pretends to think about it for a second before shaking his head, "no not that I can recall, why?"
"Really? So you didn't lash out at anyone today…"
"Ohhhhh, do you mean some nosey bitch that decided to run her mouth about my family? Yeah, I reminded her where she belonged…nothing to take note of." 5
Nezu sighs. "She gave me a long list of mental issues you may possibly have and recommended mandatory professional therapy sessions." 19
"Ugh, of course she would," Horizon grumbles. "I'm not going."
"I know that. I understand how pointless it is to have you change through words." 3
"Good. So what's the next thing you need to talk to me about?"
"Your family…"
"Seriously, did we not just go over this?"
"Not your parents, your uncle." 10
Horizon immediately sits up and looks at Nezu, who hops down from behind his desk and takes a seat on the couch opposite Horizon.
"So, I assume you knew about him?"
"My parents kept no secrets from me," Horizon says. "But what does he have to do with anything?"
"The Italian Hero Department is running a big operation to capture him and the other members of his organization, they called me in to help with logistics, and maybe find some patterns." 3
"And you want me to tell you something about him…" Horizon sighs. "I've never met uncle Doflamingo, he's not even really my uncle. Not since he sent mom to kill dad." 22
"That's how they met?" 2
"Yeah, a few years before they had me. Grandpa died…well my uncle killed him. My dad was the resident doctor and successor, so naturally, he sent mom to kill him. Assassin and mafia doctor fall in love, she gets caught up in some shit, then one of her clients offers to get her out of it if she accepts a lifetime contract to work for him.
Then she marries my dad to get him over here and they make me. He's never been back to Italy since, and I've only visited the fun places. I've never even met any family beyond my parents. They stopped being family the moment they tried to kill my dad."
"And who was this client she worked for?"
"That's really none of your business," Horizon says, still intent on protecting his client's information. "But he's basically why she couldn't just quit after having me, every few months he'd send a contract, and she'd also take a few on the side to keep other contacts and powerful people happy. It's not a business you can just choose to retire in. She retires and a lot of people get sent after her, and by extension, us…" 1
"I see, well fortunately your on the heroic path now…" 17
–6 Weeks Later…
"Listen up," Eraser addresses everyone at homeroom first thing in the morning. "You've got one week until your final exams. I'm sure you're all constantly studying and reading ahead, because these will be a lot harder than the mid-term exams. It'll test you on everything you learned in class and in training, be ready for it.
These are your mid-term results, I expect to see improvements from all of you." Eraser taps the board and a list of nineteen names shows up before he leaves the room.
The entire class is fixated on the board, immediately finding themselves on the ranking and realizing how much that had to improve, all but one person.
Mid-Term Rankings:
1-Horizon…1000/1000 2
2-Momo…938/1000
3-Bakugo….910/1000 8
4-Deku…890/1000 3
5-Shoto….850/1000
and the list goes on and on until Kaminari at the bottom in 19th place.
"Dude how the hell are you at the top?" Sero is the first to ask Horizon, but everyone else was thinking the exact same thing. Most people blatantly stared in confusion while others were just annoyed that he once again get a perfect score.
"Because that's where I belong, obviously," Horizon says. 1
Sero just rolls his eyes as Jiro does the same. Behind Horizon Momo sighed, hoping to at least be competitive with him in this, her main attribute all her life, but now resigned to the fact that she'd likely never catch up to him…but walking behind him wasn't that bad at all. 4
"Seriously man, you sleep in class all day and then get a perfect score, what's the secret?" Sero asks. "Is it the visor, does it give you cheat sheets for the exams?"
"The visor can't do that. Do you honestly think I need to study for this stuff? It's simple…plus I feel like sometimes you people forget that I'm literally a genius doctor even without my Quirk…how would high school exams be any issue?"
"Oh yeah…I guess it's not really fair huh," Sero says as the room devolves into constant chatter. 1
Horizon just leans back in his chair and focuses on warping around the leaves outside, constantly training his Quirk.
'The first rule of having a perfect memory? Don't tell anyone you have a perfect memory… because then you can't conveniently forget all the pointless crap people always pretend to care about.' 14
After a few minutes of chatter, a few students get Momo to agree to help them study, and of course, being the ray of sunshine she is, she invites Horizon along.
"I don't think I'll be of any help to the group, geniuses make the worst teachers," he says. "Plus I don't do sleepovers." 5
"Oh, I see," Momo looked down at the floor between them as beside her Jiro tried to quietly signal to Horizon that he should accept.
All he does is roll his eyes beneath the visor and say "good luck on the study session I guess, see you Monday," before warping away to his training area in UA.
"Honestly I thought they'd be over this stupid crush by now…" he mutters while getting ready for his final week of intense training. 20
Preparing for his next step, taking the stage with his Provisional License…
END CHAPTER– 1
A small reminder that you can read ahead on pa.treon, and over there we're already in next years chapters :) 5
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Chapter 85: CHAPTER 081(Eraser's Request)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
–Tokyo, 7:45 Am…
"I still think this is highly unnecessary…" Eraser grumbles. Rubbing his eyes as they entered the Tokyo area, waking up from his short nap.
Sitting across from him in the back of their limo was Horizon, now wearing his new Hero Costume.
The designs and colors were the same, but the material and body glove composition were the critical changes.
His visor was now upgraded by Mei, collapsable into a small plate no bigger than his phone. Capable of connecting to more functions via his phone so he'd have the check it less, and much more intuitive.
His jacket and vest were a rather expensive and somewhat…legally complex and difficult to acquire, carbon fiber mesh weave. Resistant to small arms fire in their entirety, at the cost of just being slightly heavier. 4
His body glove had the most visible changes, if it weren't hidden beneath his Hero Costume.
While it was still primarily white, there were now thin blue lines in the same color as the logo on that back, running along the divisions of his muscles. Making his muscle definition that much more obvious to the naked eye.
It also now extended to cover most of his head, only leaving openings for his nostrils, eyes, and mouth.
Especially since the new gel-armor layer is heavier than his previous body glove, made to stiffen when enough pressure is exerted. Perfect for any close combat encounters. 4
His gloves had the only truly visible changes while he was in full Hero Costume, now having clearly armored knuckles with the same blue lines.
In many cases, these upgrades are less than useful. Villains tend to become villains because they have a Quirk that the average person can't overcome.
Armor that can resist small arms fire or stiffen to ease the force of a punch didn't do much in the long run. But Horizon has a healthy amount of paranoia. He never expects to be hit, but still prepares for it. 8
Not to mention how difficult it was to get any equipment that doesn't have a connection with your Quirk. Hero Costumes legally are only allowed to be weaponized in ways that directly relate to the Quirk of the user. This law along with the limitation of armor stops an escalation and arms race between Heroes and Villains. 2
If every Hero wore full armor, soon all the villains would do the same. Because of that, these laws were made so regular police officers wouldn't be entirely helpless since they only have pistols. 8
Heroes always play at a disadvantage because of rules like these, but in exchange, they get the full support of society in the form of formal education facilities that help them train their Quirk and entire companies devoted to creating equipment for them, along with fame and fortune of course. 1
For example, a 25-year-old Bakugo as a Hero, is many times more powerful than he would be as a villain. Because he would not have gone to a school specifically designed to improve his Quirk use and equip him for combat if he chose the villain path. 18
Horizon managed to get away with these upgrades because of two simple reasons.
Firstly, his body glove and visor are listed as Lifestyle Support items, therefore it's easier to get upgrades if he simply says it will help him live easier. 1
And more importantly, he's Mystery Class. Nobody, not even Nezu, knows how his Quirk works. The only people that could say Hand Of God isn't affected by these upgrades are him and his parents.
Hearing Eraser's words Horizon turns his attention from his phone, putting it away to speak to his teacher.
"Most people would just enjoy the free limo ride," Horizon says.
"It's not efficient. We could have easily got on the bus with class 2B."
"I'll pretend you didn't just suggest that. I don't do public transportation."
"It's not public, it's a UA bus," Eraser says.
"Where I'd probably be hounded with questions because unlike my classmates, they've never met me, annoying. No different from if I ever lose my mind and decide to take a train, like a peasant." 9
"So what, do you just drive everywhere?" Eraser asks, ignoring that 'peasant' comment.
"I'm only 16, so I can't get a car license in Japan, and I don't have a motorcycle license. I just have this chauffeur service on standby in case I ever need to go anyway. But normally I take an armored SUV…but I figured a limo would give us some space." 2
"Until you get the Provisional License, then you can just use your hoverboard in public," Eraser says.
"Exactly, it'll be fun."
"Honestly I don't know what's more annoying, having you always riding that thing around school, or the fact that you can just warp around UA freely now…can't even avoid you by walking into an empty room."
Horizon chuckles at that, "well, people who can fly should fly, right? And UA encourages Quirk use once you aren't affecting others."
Eraser actually cracks a smile at that, "I had a friend who said almost the exact same thing, he'd always float around on his cloud…" 9
"Someone who understands the fun aspect of having a Quirk, for most people the novelty of it is gone by the time they enter UA. But I love warping about, and I'm still just 16, so of course I'm gonna play with my new toy."
They enjoy a comfortable silence for a moment before Horizon takes out his phone and quickly sends two messages, then puts it away.
"Looks like homeroom just finished, they're getting ready for the practicals now…"
"One of your friends just messaged you?" 1
"Classmates, Momo and Jiro," Horizon shrugs. "Told them 'I'm busy today' and left it at that." 4
"Huh, you didn't tell them what we're doing today, I figured you'd rub it in their faces."
"I don't brag, I state facts. And as for me not mentioning it…what I do is none of their business."
"That's fair, I just figured you'd at least tell those two, consider well, you know…" 1
Horizon sighs and shakes his head. "Yeah, I know. Really hoping they just get over this stupid crush, I've already got a lot on my plate, don't need girls that I have to see almost every day on it too." 13
"Well today is the last day of the first semester so, they've got a lot of time to come to their senses."
"Hey, I'm not that bad…" 3
"Really?" Eraser asks. "Because I'm missing my classes important first semester finals because Midnight refused to come here with you, she said 'I don't want to talk to him alone ever again,' anything you could tell me about that?" 12
"She didn't tell you?"
"It happened in your counseling session so no."
"Well you'll just have to live with the mystery, but shouldn't you be here since I think this is more important anyway?"
"If you were anyone else, yes, but you're Horizon, this is more of a formality for someone at your level. My time would be better spent watching your classmates fight the teachers. I'd then be able to form a better plan for their summer camp training."
"So glad I don't have to do that crap…"
"Actually–"
"No."
Eraser rolls his eyes, "I'm not saying you have to go, but I've been training Shinso after school since the sports festival."
"I know, I can sense you in the forest near Training Ground Zeta."
"That's still creepy. But he'll be joining the summer camp. I initially planned for him to join you all in the second year but we've got an open seat now, and the faster he starts the easier his life will be."
"True, think you can find someone to replace frenchie and tail boy? I say we trade them for Kodai." 5
"Did she give you that stack of giant cookies so you'd ask this?"
"No, I just think it's a fair trade." 2
"I'm not trading anyone. Also, along with Shinso, I'd like your help to train Toru during the summer camp." 5
"I thought you said I don't have to go to that?"
"You don't, but I'm asking you to help train your allies. You're literally the only person in the world that we know of who can understand and instruct them in training their Quirks. All I've been able to tell Shinso is to use his more and from longer range, but after your big class about Quirks I figured since I'm focusing on power, you'd be able to handle mastery."
"And Toru? You realize I'm not someone she wants to ever talk to, right? She hasn't been fully nude since I revealed I can see her, and hasn't spoken to me or even looked at me. Any time I glance at her even when she's in full uniform she runs out of the room crying…or hides behind Ojiro…" 1
"Yes but she literally joined the Hero Course because it was the only way she could have a meaningful life, at least in her mind. You realize how difficult it is being an invisible girl all your life right?"
"Ojiro doesn't seem to mind…" 2
"Why is it so difficult to get you to help anyone?" Eraser asks, now exasperated.
"Why are they too dumb to understand their own Quirks?" 7
Eraser sighs, "the summer camp is all of July, I only need you to be there for however long it takes you to train Toru, I'm sure if you tell Shinso and me what to do we can handle the rest ourselves."
Horizon leans back and considers the situation for a moment, then nods. "Alright, I'll be there for the last week in July."
"Hmm, what's the catch? Nezu said you're never easy to convince…at least not for free."
"I want to make my work with Toru public, if I'm taking a week out of my Hero time then I'll use it for my Quirk Specialist time. A girl stuck being invisible because nobody else could figure out her Quirk should help that."
"Alright, I'm sure she'll agree. Is there anything specific they should do before you get there?" 1
"Yeah, have Shinso increase his pain tolerance and focus. And for Toru, meditation."
"Meditation? Really?"
"Yeah, the issue is all mental, just like Tokoyami." 1
"To–"
"No, I've agreed to help two, that's more than enough, birdie can figure out his issues himself." 2
"Hmm, that's fair," Eraser says as the limo comes to a stop in front of a massive stadium. 1
A moment later the driver opens the door and they both step out, all eyes on them.
Horizon immediately sees students from Hero Courses around Japan taking out their phones to get pictures of him. With his jacket draped over his shoulder and sword at his side he gives them a small wave, hoverboard in his left hand.
"I really hate having all these cameras on me," Eraser says. "I miss when my identity was private…"
"Well maybe you should have worn a better mask," Horizon says while he sees some students approaching to likely get a selfie or two with him.
Eraser rolls his eyes, feeling as if he was standing beside All Might, and not in the good sense. Another Hero leaning toward the fame that comes with being a Pro Hero.
'But at least Horizon wears a mask to keep his identity secret…' he thinks as the mob gets closer.
"Meet me inside when you're done with your fans, the sooner you get your Provisional License the sooner we can get out of here, oh and lunch is on you…"
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 86: CHAPTER 082(Provisional License Exam) 5
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
SHAMBLES!
Horizon warps outside of the waiting room and into the stands of the arena. Appearing with a red sash slung across his shoulder.
Looking around he sees rows upon rows of blue chairs in the stands. The 1km wide stadium in which these exams were held is the most absurd infrastructure built to train heroes aside from UA itself.
As he walks toward Eraser Head sitting in the stands, checking his phone, he looks to his left, seeing a fully constructed small city. Completely operational and furnished.
He also sees a few other zones, such as a mountain area, a forest, a lake, and a suburban area.
An even larger version of the USJ, a government-funded facility of course.
"How did you do?" Eraser asks, putting his phone away as Horizon sits one seat away, leaning his sword and hoverboard on the seat between them.
"Well they won't reveal the overall results until it's over, but the written exams were easy. Nothing the textbooks didn't have."
"What's the next step?"
"No idea, they just gave me a sash and said to get my Support Items and head to the arena, everyone else is changing clothes."
"I see, well, a little advice. I'm sure with your warping you'll be fine, but part of the exam is always disaster rescue, try to be gentle. We haven't done a lot of proper rescue training with you guys yet so just copy what the others are doing."
Horizon chuckles, "sometimes I feel like you people forget I'm literally a doctor, I know how to deal with injured morons. Plus, I'm always gentle." 15
Eraser sighs, "that's exactly what I'm afraid of…"
After a few minutes, Eraser and Horizon see people pouring into the arena, all in their full Hero Costumes. Almost everyone here was a year 2 or 3 Hero Course student. But Horizon was by far the most powerful in this venue, only two people here would give him a challenge today.
"Good morning everyone," a tired voice speaks through the speakers in the venue. "Congratulations on passing the written exam. 6000 Students applied to this venue, but only 4000 of you managed to get past the first stage. 1
Next is the combat portion. Each of you was given a red sash to wear when you exited the written exam room, assuming you passed. There are 4000 of those in total, when you collect and wear 4 at once, they will become green and you will advance onto the next stage. 4
That means only 1000 of you will move on from here. Only the red sashes are usable. Once they turn green collecting them won't get you anything, so just get off the battlefield once you're green."
The man yawns into the mic and Horizon gets up, taking his sword but deciding to leave his hoverboard with Eraser.
"You've got ten minutes to get ready, then the timer begins…"
Leaving one of his cards on the seat Horizon warps onto the battlefield, now standing in the mountain zone. Loose rocks all about, seeing people scrambling to find a desirable spot.
'Good call,' he thinks after seeing a few people that were heading for this zone immediately turn around when he arrived. 'Avoiding me is definitely the best choice at this stage.
All I need is to collect four other sashes. But if all I do is warp them onto me then I won't really learn anything.
I should at least try to get something out of this…'
"30 Seconds left to prepare," the announcer says.
Looking around Horizon still doesn't see anyone nearby.
ROOM!
He's forced to extend his room for nearly 100meters before he finds a small team in one of the office buildings laying in wait, a team of five people, one more than he needed.
"Ok, start."
SHAMBLES!
Five rocks roughly twenty meters away from him are swapped out for the students.
Four boys who all had a similar outfits, but in different colors. Blue, red, white, black, and gold. 7
"Oh great, I'm fighting the fucking power rangers…" Horizon grumbles as they all look around confused, eventually spotting him. 12
They all share an awkward glance with each other, then black punches forward with both hands.
Horizon just tilts his head as both are shot off from the shoulder and rocket toward him, or at least that's what he expected. But instead, they just moved at a casual jogging pace. 2
SHAMBLES!
Horizon swaps both arms for some loose rocks at his feet and steps on them, pinning them in place.
Without taking his eyes off the opponents he shakes his head, "what Quirk is that, detachable arms?"
"Yeah, now give em back!" The black outfit student yells.
"Oh my god, are you guys first years?"
"Third years," Red says. "Come on man after this we've only got one more chance to get a license, can't you just let us go?"
"Well…" Horizon holds out his hand, palm facing the floor.
SHAMBLES!
One of the detached arms is traded for Black's sash, which Horizon immediately uses Takt on to raise to his hand, slinging it across his shoulder.
"Me or someone else, with a garbage Quirk like that you're just a walking bag of free points…"
"You jerk!" Blue screams out, leveling both hands at Horizon, flat with his fingers facing forward.
Ten fingernails are fired like bullets at Horizon, he instantly warps his sword out of the scabbard and into his hand, deflecting them to either side of him. 6
He prepares to deflect another set of attacks, only to notice that Blue's fingers are bleeding as the nails slowly grow back.
"Oh that's disgusting, are all your Quirks garbage?"
"Gazer!" Red screams out as he rushes forward, his footsteps suddenly heavier, but not showing any signs of actual super strength.
'Mass control?' Horizon questions.
Gazer -Gold-immediately fires off two thin golden energy beams from his eyes. 1
'Ok that's cool!' Horizon thinks as he raises a hand.
CURTAIN!
The lasers slam into the blue dome he's suddenly standing inside. Red reaches him in no time and is about to punch the dome aiming at his head, the mass in his fist increased a dozen times via his Quirk.
Gold stops the lasers as Red is about to connect, avoiding friendly fire.
SHAMBLES!
Horizon drops the curtain and swaps with Gold. Red punched Gold in the back of his head, completely knocking him out and crumpling him to the floor.
"Gazer!"
Red turns around with fury in his eyes, just in time to see Horizon already standing beside Black -who was still missing one arm-and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Counter Shock!"
"AARRRGGGHHH!!!!" Black gets tased and falls to the floor. 1
As Red is rushing back to help his friend Blue leaps forward with his still-growing nails to engage in close combat and gets tased as well, leaving White standing a few feet away in a fighting stance, waiting for Red to show up, their only Power Type.
Horizon turns toward White and stares at him, raising his sword and aiming toward Red off to the side without taking his eyes off White.
"Injection Shot," Red feels a bullet rip through his thigh causing him to trip and slam his face into the stone ground. "Injection Shot," his other leg feels the exact same thing, immobilizing him ten feet away, leaving him groaning in pain.
White sees this and takes a few careful steps away from Horizon, hands raised to fight but trembling the entire time.
"Shambles," the red sashes from the three newly downed people appear on the floor by Horizon. With a thought, he raises them up and puts them on, all while White is watching in horror, and they immediately turn green. "So, what can you do?"
"Uh…I, ah, I can throw my voice," White says in a shaky voice. 9
Horizon sighs, puts his sword away, and shakes his head. "So that's why you didn't help them, because you're pretty much useless…"
"Well, I–"
"Give me your sash," Horizon holds out a hand for it. 1
"What? But you already have five, you passed."
"Yeah, but you don't deserve to, so hand it over, now…" 12
Moments later "Horizon is the first to advance," is announced over the speakers as he enters the next area. Taking off the sashes and placing them on the designated table for the staff to deal with.
Sitting in the waiting area he takes out his phone to play a game and pass the time, seeing a message from Sero about him and Ojiro getting past Power Loader for their exam, but ignoring it.
'Honestly, this exam is easy and these people are disappointing…'
Whilst Horizon was enjoying the half hour before the final students pass the current round, a completely different situation was unfolding at the opposite end of the arena.
Within the control room the proctor, Yokumiru Mera, a man with messy beige hair and heavy eyebags was yawning as he looked at Horizon's records.
'A perfect score…I can't fail him from the written section, and he got past the combat stage easily enough. Warping makes him a guaranteed pass for the next stage, the only way to get past him would be to defeat him, or make him hurt an ally or civilian…' 3
He looks up at the other Hero Commission employees in the control room who were regulating this exam. They were completely oblivious to the ulterior motive he had to achieve today, and how much sleep he's been losing over it.
'The boss gave me orders, so failing really isn't an option since I know so much…I guess I'll have to depend on those two to be a wall for Horizon…' he gets up from his seat and enters the hallway.
Walking a few doors down he enters a room with two people sitting patiently enjoying some refreshments.
The two people were brought on for the express purpose of delaying or stopping Horizon's hero career, under false pretenses of course. 4
The first was the #9 Pro Hero, Gang Orca. Standing at 202cm -6ft8-and wearing a formal white suit and pink tie. His Mutation Quirk gives him the appearance of an Orca, a menacing presence hiding a soft and kind heart. 9
He was brought here under the somewhat false pretense that Horizon requires more of a challenge and the Hero Commission wants to see exactly how capable he is. They told him that they expect great things from Horizon and want to see how he'd do against a current top Pro. 1
Across from Gang Orca, however, was the current #7 Pro Hero, Mirko. Standing at 159cm -5ft2-brown skin, with white rabbit ears and large feet thanks to her Rabbit Quirk. This muscled lady only needed to hear one thing to agree to this plan. 5
All she wanted was a chance to fight Horizon, a Mystery Class Quirk user.
"Looks like I'm depending on you two to put him to the test," Mera says in a tired voice.
"I'll have him on the ropes in no time!" Mirko says with a vicious smile. 14
Across from her Orca shakes his head, "I still feel like this is a bit much, has the commission really thought this through? It could be discouraging for him?" 1
"I assure you we've already considered all possibilities…" Mera says before leaving the room, telling them to get ready.
'If this doesn't work the boss will have to take drastic measures…if this gets investigated I'll get locked in prison forever…if I'm lucky, treason, abuse of power, fraud… I just hope this ends here…' 8
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 87: CHAPTER 083(Gang Violence) 3
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Entering the same arena from the combat stage, Horizon immediately sees a swath of destruction. Collapsed buildings and rubble all around.
The entryway and a few areas directly around it were clear of any debris. And directly in front of the entrance was a massive green circle, marked by a glowing line.
Currently the students were looking around trying to get a grasp on the situation, and Horizon was off to the side simply waiting for instructions.
"Welcome to the final stage," the announcement says. "999 of you advanced to this round, your goal is simple. We've placed actors to play the part of civilians that are trapped in the debris and rubble. You have to find and rescue them, when all the civilians are relocated to the safety area at the entrance the exam is complete and we'll calculate your scores. 4
Your job will also be to keep the civilians safe within the safety area as well. The scenario is a simple terrorist attack. Alright, begin…"
The moment the voice stops almost everyone rushes forward to begin searching for civilians, desperate to get some points.
Horizon takes out one of his cards and looks around, finding a nice open spot to begin warping people to.
'I'll just warp them out of the debris and let everyone else deal with the first aid crap,' thinks literally the only doctor in the arena. 1
He sees a few students nearby looking at him expectantly, coming to the same conclusion as him and ready for some easy points.
ROOM!
He opens a modest room of 300 meters. Immediately locating some civilians. 4
After rescuing the first dozen civilians without saying a word he's already bored, just waiting for the exam to be over.
BOOM!
The arena shakes as part of the wall crumbles, and out floods men in black body suits and grey masks with large blaster-looking devices on their left arms.
Everyone in the area turns to see the newcomers with worried looks, and those looks become horror when Gang Orca and Mirko step out of the dust cloud, dozens of their footsoldiers running out and charging forward at the safe zone.
"I get it," Horizon says, causing everyone nearby to look at him. "They said we need to keep people in the safe zone, these are the villains that are trying to challenge that. If you can't fight just focus on treating them…" he says before casually walking toward the villains.
Horizon walks toward the villains with both hands in his pockets, even as he's standing only thirty meters away with their footsoldiers flanking his sides, all aiming their weapons at him.
Orca glares at him, and raises an arm to the side to stop Mirko from charging in, causing her to shoot him an annoyed glance, tapping her foot in excitement to fight. 2
They come to a tense standoff for a moment as both teams analyze each other.
'Gang Orca and Mirko…they shouldn't be that big of a problem,' Horizon thinks while creating a new ROOM, spanning 100m around him, just enough for the upcoming fight. 'I can't Amputate them, that would end the fight too quickly and I wouldn't learn anything.
This is a good chance to test out my new style of more direct confrontation. Of all the heroes Mirko is physically second only to All Might, at least when it comes to striking power. And Gang Orca is also a brawler with raw power like Shishido…I can't waste this chance.'
On the other side Gang Orca is the only one of the Pros doing any strategic thinking, Mirko is much more like Bakugo, completely instinctual. He looks at Horizon as menacingly as he can, yet Horizon doesn't react.
'Fearless…his Quirk is powerful, but he's a bit too cocky…' he looks past Horizon to see other students in a quickly cobbled-together combat formation a hundred meters away. 'Well at least he inspires confidence in others, they're willing to bet on him to deal with most of us and are waiting to deal with whatever gets past him…a good plan in this situation.
Fighting beside Horizon isn't good if you don't know what he can do. Once we get in too close for him to use that sword we'll be fine…' Orca decides as he raises a finger to scratch his head. 2
"Alright, fire," he orders, and all the villains with weapons do exactly that.
In the first wave, two dozen people fire shots of liquid cement out of their Cement Guns. A capture tool used to restrain Power Types from a distance. A cement-like liquid which begins expanding when it hits the air and then hardens.
As each of the shots is only 3 meters away from their shooter, en route to hitting Horizon.
SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES SHAMBLES 6
All the shooters swap with their projectiles, and because his warping doesn't cancel momentum, they shoot themselves in the back.
Seeing what happened and his men stumbling forward as it hardens on their backs Orca raises his hand to stop them.
'He doesn't need to move to activate warping, that's problematic, so his quirk really doesn't have any tells.'
"Let's just kick his ass already!" Mirko yells from beside Orca, her patience running thin.
"Ranged attacks don't work," Orca announces, "just leave him to us, go test the other students!"
As he says that Horizon begins rushing forward, surprising everyone as he doesn't even draw his blade.
Gang Orca's men do as they're told and rush past him, a mob of villains moving like a wave moving around a boulder.
"FINALLY!" Mirko yells as she rushes forward, spinning into a roundhouse kick aimed directly at Horizon's face.
SHAMBLES! 2
'What!' Gang Orca is surprised as they swap places, leaving Horizon standing a few meters away and Mirko all the way back where Horizon was.
BOOSTER SHOT!
Horizon swings out with a strong right, boosting it just before the moment of impact.
"Too cocky," Orca says as he swats the punch away, countering with a hard left jab. 1
Horizon raises his left hand as if to catch the punch, "Curtain!" his barrier forms and blocks the hit.
As he blocks Orca is already rearing back his right arm to strike again, and Horizon does the same.
BOOSTER SHOT!
He amplifies his strength multiple times, a stronger punch than he'd ever done before, intent on testing himself against Gang Orca.
Horizon drops the barrier and his right fist clashes with Orca's.
'FUCK!' he feels all the bones in his hand and wrist shatter on impact. 1
Orca reaches out to grab his neck.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps with Mirko who was already behind him to surprise him with a kick, causing her to hit Orca and send him rolling across the floor. 1
"Crap," Mirko sees Orca try and fail to catch himself in a controlled roll. Turning around she sees Horizon standing up and flexing his right hand, the bones already healed as if they were never damaged.
'How do I get close to him, outspeed him?' Mirko actually stops to think, growing more and more annoyed every time he warps her.
"Stop warping me away you coward!" She screams at Horizon. A moment later she hears Orca getting up behind her and walking toward them.
"I'm just testing out some new things, so fighting both of you at once is annoying," Horizon says.
"Don't stop rushing him," Orca says, already standing beside Mirko and dusting off his white suit. "His warping must require some focus, even if it's minimal, we can use it to stress him out."
"Good plan, won't work, but good plan," Horizon says jokingly.
"Arrogant child, and if we beat you?" Orca asks.
"Yeah…if," Horizon's response pisses off both Pros. 1
SHAMBLES!
He swaps with Mirko, already swinging a punch directly at Orca's face, making full contact.
Orca stumbles back, 'I actually felt that one, his file didn't say super-strength…' 11
Mirko turns around and rushes the duo, only to be swapped with a nearby rock. And every time she'd get too close he'd do the exact same thing, all while brawling with Gang Orca.
Sitting in the stands, already having repositioned to be closer to Horizon's fight Eraser Head is looking at it with very critical eyes.
Seeing Horizon and Orca brawling, admittedly a one-sided brawl.
For every three hits Horizon lands, Orca would come close to landing one, only for Horizon to either avoid it, block it, or parry it.
'Gang Orca clearly fights like a boxer, but Horizon is a lot more technical than any one martial art can make you….'
Eraser notes Orca being pushed back, but Horizon's hits are carefully placed to inflict as much pain as possible, even at the cost of an opening to perform a knockout hit.
All while constantly warping Mirko to the edge of his room.
'I see, he's using the pain to make it difficult for Gang Orca to focus, he's scared of his Sonic Wave attack. He wants to keep the brawling going. He's using two of our strongest heroes as practice dummies, intentionally holding back to test…something, I wonder what.' 3
After a few rounds, Eraser sees Gang Orca with cuts and bruises all over his body, and the knuckles of Horizon's gloves worn down just a bit.
BOOSTER SHOT!
Horizon rears back for a strong right, landing it directly in Orca's face and causing him to take a few steps back.
"Heh, you're out of steam," Orca catches his footing and smiles viciously at Horizon, glaring at the boy. "That hit was a lot weaker than the others, you're getting tired huh…"
"How about you come and find out?"
Taking a deep breath Orca straightens up, then steps forward and throws a strong right.
'Sonic Wave!'
Using the punch as a distraction he barely tilts his head down and releases his sound attack, the sonar of an orca amplified to absurd levels, enough to shatter concrete with one attack and nearly grind it into gravel.
The clothes on this right arm gets caught in his own attack, destroying his entire right sleeve and causing massive cuts on the skin.
Had it not been for that arm Horizon would not have warped away before the attack even hit.
But the fact that the fabric of his sleeve was destroyed was also a warning, otherwise, the invisible sound wave would have hit and possibly given him a small opening.
The moment the fabric was destroyed Orca and Horizon swapped places, and the stone in front of Orca was completely pulverized by his Super Move.
He cuts it off, ready to turn around and swing at Horizon, but freezes, feeling a hand holding the dorsal fin on his back. 1
"Counter Shock!"
"ARRRGHHHG!!" Orca's smoking and twitching body crumples to the floor.
And in the stands, the scouts for Hero Agencies, Pro Heroes, and exam proctors all gape in horror and amazement.
All aside from Eraser Head, who completely expected this from Horizon. But he can't help but smile as Mirko stops running and just takes a casual walk toward Horizon.
Her face nearly turned purple from how pissed off she was.
Turning to look at her Horizon sighs, 'shit…Gang Orca was physically tougher than expected, if I couldn't finish him with just physical power then Mirko is out of the picture…guess I'll test out how good Incision is.'
"Finally ready to get your ass beat?!" Mirko drops into a fighting stance, eyes focused on Horizon. 2
He just draws his sword without taking his eyes off her, "show me what you've got, bunny girl…" 19
Mirko grinds her teeth in rage as she rushes forward, the ground beneath her feet cracking as their fight begins… 2
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 88: CHAPTER 084(Rabbit Hunting) 10
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START– 2
Mirko rockets foward, faster than Horizon can ever hope to physically react to. 3
Luckily his ROOM overcomes that, allowing him to analyze and predict the simplistic movement of her fighting syle.
INCISIONBOOSTER SHOT!
He swings his sword, this time using both hands.
His sword and the metal tips of her Hero Costume boots clash. A moment before impact she adjusted her feet to kick the side of his sword instead of the blade.
All while in mid-air she knocks his sword to the side with one leg, and launches and vicious kick with the other.
As it's about to slam into his visor.
SHAMBLES!
He swaps places with her.
And she simple continues the kick until she's spun around to kick where she was a moment ago, once again missing him by a hairs breath as he swaps places with a nearby rock.
The air pressure from her kick rips up the ground in front of her for a few meters as she lands on her feet.
"Those cheap tricks won't work on me!" she screams while rushing him again.
'Ok, she's definitely a better fighter than All Might, I guess having less power means she has to be to pull off the same meathead combat style for this long…plus she's all instinct which means the time between taking in stimulus and acting is a lot lower than other people.
That means my warping won't be as effective at close range to get free hits, she's like an extreme version of Bakugo…no, Bakugo is like a discount version of her.' 4
BOOSTER SHOT!
Instead of trying to amplify his offense Horizon does something he learned a long time ago. The exact same thing he taught Deku.
Spreading the energy around his body, focusing on the muscles needed for mobility rather than power in this case.
Since this ability activates at the speed of thought, just like his warping, he can afford to do this. Trying as best he can to bridge the infinite gap between his mental processing and his physical reaction speed. 1
"Lunar Rush!"
Mirko strikes with a flurry of powerful kicks, each packing enough force to knock out Horizon if they land a solid hit.
He barely manages to parry them with his blade.
Even with his boost to agility and dexterity, he couldn't keep up with Mirko physically.
She would launch one kick, and because of her speed, he'd barely be able to react, only defending or directing them to the side, not fast enough to capitalize on an opening to counter-attack.
His arms were numb at the fourth hit, now he couldn't feel them at all. Booster Shot constantly heals the stress only for her to start the process all over again with a few hits.
Eventually, she drops down to her hands and spins, raising both her legs up while supporting herself with her arms.
Her first kick in this stance knocks his sword to the side, but he sees an opening.
Pivoting and stepping back to avoid the second kick he spins around.
BOOSTER SHOTINCISION!
His blade cuts into her thigh, reaching nearly an inch deep before it stops completely. It could easily go a bit deeper at the force he swung.
But it stopped, and Mirko lept away with it still in her leg, ripping it out of his hand.
The grip strength of her leg muscles is far superior to the strength in his hand, and if the blade isn't physically cutting, Incision can't enhance anything. She reflexively flexed her muscles and stopped his sword.
The difference between someone with a true Power Type Quirk, and someone with an ability that only replicates that effect. Just like the USJ Nomu was healing so quickly that when he tried to pierce its brain with Incision that the sword was being pushed out. 11
Because of this change in the battle, he doesn't doubt that Mirko is at least on par with its striking power.
Mirko takes the sword out of her leg and holds it tauntingly. "Not so tough without your little toys huh!"
"Would you believe it's only for picking up girls?"
"Awe, compensating for something?" She gives him a dark chuckle, dropping into a fighting stance to finish him off.
"Aren't we all compensating for something?" Horizon shrugs. "I mean, you only focus on violence because you're not smart, right?" 13
Mirko immediately sees red. 5
SHAMBLES!
Horizon warps his sword back into his hand.
Being someone who trust her instincts, and her prey instincts amplified hundreds of times over by her Quirk, Mirko feels all the hairs at the back of her neck stand up.
Suddenly it all fell into place in her brain.
'He really wasn't taking us seriously. Something changed. He's different now. What's happening? I should run. What?! I don't run! Heroes don't run away!
But this attack!
DANGER DANGER DANGER!'
She sees Horizon casually swing his sword through the air.
Her pupils dilated, a dangerous attack that her body couldn't withstand or resist. Heart rate hitting new record highs.
AMPUTATE!
Horizon swings horizontally.
Mirko ducks down, dropping to all fours. 2
She knew she couldn't take that hit, it would end her fight. But her brain wasn't sure what was going on, so she treated it like a gun.
She could dodge bullets with her raw speed. Kicking them out of the air wasn't anything special for her.
But this was different, these attacks hit instantly, so she had to do what Pros that can't dodge bullets do.
Dodge gunfire.
See where the barrel is pointing and get out of the way before the trigger is pulled, to the untrained it looks like the same thing, but dodging gunfire is much easier.
So before he can finish his quick slash Mirko is already ducked down, the top half of her rabbit ears get amputated but she doesn't feel it. 5
Before Horizon can adjust his sword she rushes forward, cratering the ground beneath her with how fast she launches into action.
As if time was frozen around her as an entirely new level of adrenaline took over, she got in front of him and does a small jump, making her body parallel to the floor, seeing his left hand reach out as if to grab her.
CURTAIN!
Both her feet slam into the dome of energy that he quickly formed. Her dropkick hits it harder than anything had ever before.
And the Curtain shatters.
BOOM!
The area in front of her gets pulverized by the air pressure of her kick and a dust cloud is kicked up.
"Argh!" Mirko reaches up to grab her ear, the most sensitive part of her. Only to realize they aren't there.
"I swapped places with them," Horizon's voice says from behind her, where her ears were.
"You!" Mirko turns around just in time to see the world going sideways.
All her limbs were quickly and quietly Amputated, causing her to begin falling to the floor as just a torso. 20
"Shambles," Horizon swaps for one of her legs and catches her by the neck, holding her up so she was at his eye level. 1
Everyone looks on in Horror as he holds the limbless Mirko above the ground as if she were nothing, then her other leg swaps for the unconscious Gang Orca, directly below her. 1
"You're better than I thought, at least for your style." 1
Mirko snarls in his face, "next time I'll kick your ass!"
"Says the woman with no legs." 8
"Yo–"
"Counter Shock!"
"ARRGHHHH!!"
To her credit, it takes an entire three-second tasing to knock her out. Then he simply drops her atop Gang Orca. 1
"Shambles!" he reassembles her, then looks around at everyone staring at him and the unconscious heroes.
Walking back to the safe zone as the final few civilians are rescued Horizon takes a few deep breaths, intent on taking it easy for the rest of the day.
'I've still got so much improving to do. My physicality isn't enough. My stamina pool isn't nearly enough… I'm nowhere near where I want to be, where I can be, I need to step up my training…' 7
Even beating two of the top 10 Pro Heroes that were fully intent on defeating him wasn't enough for Horizon.
It wasn't nearly enough.
Because to him, this is simply what's expected. 2
But to everyone else, it was an absurd achievement. And from all the people nearby taking pictures, it was one the public would soon know about.
As the exam is finished Eraser just sighs and shakes his head, seeing Horizon proceed to get his final score with the others.
Then he looks over to the Pros as medical teams come to wake them up.
'Mystery Class or not, the kid is a freak. Most villains wouldn't dream of beating one of the top Pro heroes, much less two. But why weren't these wearing any kind of restraints? It is an exam after all.
Hmm, they probably just figured since it's Horizon at this venue they needed a challenge. That kinda makes sense I guess. With how much Nezu brags about him I wouldn't doubt if that's the case.
I guess it doesn't really matter. Either way, his obsessive nature, Quirk, and capabilities are a combination you'd find inside any villain's nightmares. It's game over for them…' 1
While the students were waiting for their final scores the head proctor, Yokumiru Mera, was pacing around his private control room at this venue with his phone to his ear. All the tiredness in his demeanor was completely gone as he anxiously waited for someone to answer.
In this simple room was a wall of monitors. On the largest was a live feed of Gang Orca and Mirko being woken up and treated.
On another was Horizon sitting in the waiting area for his final results while everyone else was leaving to go change.
And on the third was his results, a perfect score in all stages. Making him one of three people alive and active to ever get this score in Japan.
Tied with Endeavor and Best Jeanist.
"Hello," Mera says as the call is answered.
"–-"
"A perfect score."
"–-"
"Yes, I know, it should be impossible. But he beat them. I'll send you the recording, if it isn't online already. Some of those kids had their phones out the whole fight."
"–-"
"Yes, I know this wasn't the plan…"
"–-"
"He only warped out about a dozen civilians."
"–-"
"Are you sure I can't fail him on that? I mean he spent the entire time fighting after that and ignored everyone else."
"–-"
"Well I guess it's true that nobody else could stop them, but if you really want him to fail I can make it happen."
"–-"
"Alright. Then I guess this plan is a bust. We'll have to get him off the hero path some other way."
"–-"
"Yes," Mera sighs. "I understand how detrimental it is for our plans if Horizon becomes a Pro Hero."
"–-"
"That's true. But at this point can anyone stop him from being the next Symbol Of Peace? He beat 2 of the top ten Pro Heroes. Most villains never even get past one…"
"–-" 1
"Yeah, I guess the next best thing is to put a deal together, get him to break whatever deal he has with Nezu, and come to our side…" 14
"–-"
Mera sighs and hangs up, then turns to look at Horizon casually scrolling through his phone in the waiting area.
"To think I'd have to be so scared of a kid…but a world where he becomes the Symbol Of Peace, is a world we can't survive…" 14
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 89: CHAPTER 085(Hero Plan)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in the back of the limo Eraser is eating a simple bento box while Horizon enjoys a meal bar. 3
Horizon takes out his phone and quickly takes a picture of his Provisional Hero License. 2
It was similar to a driver's license, but of course, it's supposed to have your true legal identification.
So for someone like Endeavor, it'd have 'Enji Todoroki' followed by his Hero name, and a picture of him without his Hero Costume.
Revealing it would announce yourself to the world and tell everyone exactly where you live. 1
But for Horizon. All it had was the name 'Horizon.' No address, no other identification. And a picture of him wearing his visor. Perfectly keeping himself insulated. It didn't even have his date of birth.
"Nezu really went out of his way for this trick…" he mutters while taking the picture and posting it on his profile. Since it was completely harmless he didn't really mind, not to mention impersonating him would lead to…very dangerous situations, and is illegal.
For the same reason, people don't impersonate top Pro Heroes. Some villains want to make a name for themselves by killing a top Pro. Walking around dressed as a top Pro, is an easy way to get attacked by someone who at least thinks they're capable of killing that hero. 1
There are much easier ways to commit suicide than that. 6
'Time to start hunting down some villains!' was the simple caption he puts with the picture before posting it.
And Eraser's phone immediately goes off. He takes it out and checks it then glances at Horizon.
"What's your plan for actually taking down villains?" Eraser asks.
"What do you mean?"
"Where do you plan to patrol? Saitama with Endeavor and Burnin?" 2
"Minato Tokyo." 1
Eraser raises a brow at that, "why there?" he takes a bite of his lunch.
"Because the All Might agency is there. It's the most densely populated place in Japan, but because of him instead of being the most crime-filled, it was also one of the safest.
But now since he's in Musutafu, and you know…the other thing."
Eraser nods, not wanting to speak about All Might's condition aloud, even in here.
"Yeah well, villains are slowly waking up to the change. The crime rate there has been doubling every week or so, it's the highest it's been in decades already."
"So you're taking his old territory?"
"Yup, and there aren't even many agencies there since he did so much work that they either moved away or starved and went bankrupt. No competition."
"Endeavor is sending someone with you?"
"Nope, all solo."
"Without Hero Network access that'll be hard to do, what do you have, an old police scanner?"
"Since I've got this Provisional License Nezu pulled some strings to get me a Hero Network account. I'll be plugged in and cops can call me for help. Or Pro Heroes can request a team-up."
"Giving someone without a full license access is treason. You're supposed to finish your three-year Provisional License time before you get a full license. Not to mention if you break any rules it could get your current license annulled and make you take the exam over, if you don't get expelled. 2
And if you aren't in a Hero Course you can't even take the exam…"
"I know how it works. Relax, Nezu got Pantu to approve it, I think. I don't know, didn't bother asking. The point is it's legit, with special approval and all that. 1
This way I can operate solo. It's better that I do things this way, even if at the moment I'll technically have to be attached to the Endeavor Agency on paper, working with him is good to show that he trusts me to handle myself and villains.
But I also need to be seen working solo so people don't think I'm actually trying to be a Sidekick. I'm nobody's Sidekick."
"Hmm, makes sense. The press can be brutal about labels. If you have Endeavor in every case you solve then the media will treat it like you're just an accessory to him."
"Exactly what I'm trying to avoid, especially since I plan to open my own Hero Agency as soon as the three-year trial period on the license is complete." 1
"Well it'll be done just three months after you graduate, that means you'll be 19…youngest Hero to ever open an agency. Even Endeavor spent a year as a Sidekick before opening his at 20, and Hawks was the same age as that when he appeared on the scene."
"Yup, my glorious three-year plan." 4
"How many days is Nezu giving you off from school for Hero Work?"
"He's giving me Thursday, Friday, and Saturday."
"Half the school week…well, I guess it makes sense since it's you. And since it's you I assume you'll be working on Sundays too?"
"That's usually when I have my patients, but yeah I'll work when I'm not dealing with that."
"Right, sometimes I really do forget you're a doctor."
"Best in the world."
Eraser groans and rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well clearly people don't mind challenging you just because of your reputation. Gang Orca and Mirko…"
"Yeah, the commission must have wanted to give me a challenge," Horizon says with a shrug. "Makes sense, if they weren't there I would have just warped everyone to safety. Keeping me distracted was the best way to make sure I didn't just carry everyone else."
"I still don't like it," Eraser says. "People who are ahead shouldn't be punished, they should be encouraged to keep improving. You worked hard to get to the point where that exam would be easy, they just increased the difficulty to spite that, there weren't any lessons to be had there…" 1
"Well I appreciate it, honestly," Horizon says. "I've been struggling to get a good fight with a true Power Type lately.
Deku is too much of a little bitch to fight me, Kirishima sucks at anything other than just being a meatshield. And Sato gets tired too quickly. Gang Orca and Mirko were perfect."
Eraser sighs, "you know if you were nicer to Midoriya he'd probably spar with you. Maybe you should consider it."
"Maybe he should finally grow some balls and go fuck himself, he pulls away anything I'm near him, like he's scared I'm made of lava or something." 3
"So does Todoroki," Eraser says. "It's a healthy reaction after seeing you rip out a still-beating heart." 3
"Ugh," Horizon groans. "That was over a month ago, when will you people just get over it already."
"Have they given you any warning about that?"
Horizon sighs. "Some crap about not removing organs unless absolutely necessary, but I can cut people up since it doesn't kill them. Surprising they haven't said anything about me being able to just use Incision to cut a car in half if I wanted to."
"Please don't kill anyone."
"As if I'd ever make a sloppy mistake like that." 2
"You're supposed to say 'I'd never do that since I'm a hero,' or something like that." 4
"Whatever…"
The limo soon comes to a stop at the front gate of UA.
"We got back before school finished," Eraser says. "Get to your homeroom and wait for the others, I'll go put your Provisional License Exam score into the system for your final grade…"
–20 Minutes Later…
Horizon is sitting at his desk, now back in his regular uniform. Scrolling though his phone he's taking in all the reactions of people online.
And he saved a certain picture.
It was one incredible shot of him walking away with his sword still drawn, and a few drops of blood on it. And behind him, clearly visible, were Gang Orca and Mirko, absolutely beaten down. The ground around them was torn up from Mirko and Orca's previous attacks. 4
He couldn't upload this picture himself to his profile, that would simply be unprofessional and seen as bad taste. His image is all about being the perfect hero, and being respected by other heroes is part of that.
He was sure there were people already dealing with those who uploaded these pictures.
But they couldn't exactly put the news back into the bottle now. The world already knew, and on his profile, they would always appear in his 'tagged photos' tab.
A few moments later and all his classmates begins pouring into class, most don't pay any mind to his sudden appearance at the very end of the day.
But Sero, Momo, Jiro, and Tokoyami immediately begin chatting with him as they all get into the class, with Jiro leaning against Tokoyami's desk to face Horizon.
"Dude you missed the practical exams! Where were you?!" Sero yells out.
"I was busy, it's no big deal."
"I don't think being Principal Nezu's favorite is gonna cut it this time," Jiro says. "Aside from Kaminari and Ashido, you're technically the only person that failed."
"The idiot duo failed…how shocking."
Jiro chuckles at the unintentional pun, "yeah they got matched with the principal, it wasn't even close."
"Did he do the crane thing?"
"Y– how'd you know?"
"Well, he told me about it a while ago over a chess game, said it's easier than playing against me. He hasn't won even once, 33-0." 3
"Are you sure you're human?" Tokoyami asks, genuinely curious as to how beating Nezu at chess was possible.
"I'm human, his brain just isn't wired for combat, and Quirks, I'm better at that. Anyway did anything fun happen at your exams?" 3
"We used our new Hero Costumes!" Momo says excitedly, then her voice drops a bit. "But you weren't here to see them."
"Oh yeah, those were pretty cool," Sero says. "I kinda prefer Momo's old costume honestly."
Jiro jabs him with an Earphone Jack for saying that.
"Ouch! Hey! I mean I like the new ones, especially Jiro's cyborg look."
"Cyborg?" Horizon asks. "Copying someone?"
Jiro just blushes and looks away. "It's not that I was copying you, it was just the best I could think of on the spot with Hatsume." 3
"Well if you're gonna copy someone, it might as well be me…"
After a few minutes of everyone talking about how their they finally got to Jiro.
"Wait, you really thought Mic was 'just an announcer,' seriously?"
"Well, I didn't think he nearly rupture my eardrums. He just seemed really goofy…"
"You know, I figured since sound-based Quirks are so rare for heroes…that you would have done your research," Horizon says. "Mic is literally the most powerful offensive sound user in Japan, I mean when he was born he blew out the ears of everyone in the room. Only that one guy from the Philippines is better." 8
Jiro scratches her cheek, not realizing how much she underestimated him, "damn…yeah well I guess I'm pretty dumb for not checking that."
"What happened to your knuckles?" Tokoyami asks Horizon, noticing that the knuckle pads on his new body glove are all scuffed.
"Oh, that," Horizon raises his hands to show them. "Wore them out punching Gang Orca in the face." 4
The entire class goes completely silent and just turns to stare at him.
"Oh, it's on my profile, the whole fight and the aftermath, check it out…" and that's exactly what they all do.
"You got your license!" Sero is the first to yell out.
"And you beat up two of the top 10 Pro Heroes…damn," Jiro says.
Behind Horizon, Momo was intently staring at the shaky video of the fight, more and more amazed by him, realizing that all the extra training the entire class was doing since Iida died wasn't nearly enough. Not with someone like this sitting beside them. 3
"How come you were the only one that took the exam?" Tokoyami asks. "Not that I believe I'm ready for such an honor…"
"Well, that's pretty simple, because I'm just better than all of you…" 19
END CHAPTER– 1
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Chapter 90: CHAPTER 086(Pool Party) 3
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
SHAMBLES!
Horizon suddenly appears at the UA pool, immediately noticed by all the girls of class 1A and 1B enjoying the mid-day sun.
They all immediately stop their volleyball game in the pool and stare at him, noticing his new body glove with the separations, appearing like armored plates.
"It's like a mini All Might…" Setsuna can't help but blurt out, earning a set of nods from the others.
Horizon was now standing at 194cm -6ft4-and 260lbs -118kg-, completely filled out with muscles, all exaggerated by the design of his body glove, a terrifyingly imposing figure. 15
While all the girls were wearing their UA one-piece swimsuits, effectively a skin-tight pair of shorts and t-shirt, Horizon had on a pair of shorts and a hoodie over his body glove, all in the same blue and white colors. 3
None of them even noticed the laptop in his hand, too busy ogling him. And Toru hides behind Momo.
"I'll go get the boys!" Mina says as she hops out of the pool and runs off, snapping them all out of their daze.
"I'm gonna get some work done, try not to bother me," Horizon says to the girls. He turns to make his way to the furthest of all the plastic tables and chairs set up in the shade, all in red and black, Momo's creations. 1
"You really can't come in?" Kendo asks, causing him to turn back toward them and sigh.
He taps his visor, "I don't like getting the body glove wet, and if the visor fills with whatever it feels similar to getting waterboarded…so no thanks."
"Oh, that's too bad I guess."
"It's fine," Horizon tells her, "it's not like I'd get in that even if I could…it's all fun and games until Kaminari sneezes…" Some of them wince at that mental image. 4
All the girls watch him walk away, noticing his logo on the side of his shorts and the back of his hoodie.
"Does everything he wears have his logo on it?" Setsuna asks, a short girl with sharp teeth, large eyes, and green hair.
"Yes," all the 1A girls respond at once in the same tired tone. 2
"He's a lot bigger than I thought, it's pretty intense," Kinoko Komori says. A short girl whose head was barely above the water, eyes covered by the large mop of brown hair stuck to her head. 7
"He's been bulking, a lot," Momo says with a slight blush on her face. "But yes his physique is quite, mmm…intense."
Kendo rolls her eyes, already fed up with her friend from 1A, then splashes Momo, "you know if you said that to his face…visor? Is there a face under there? Whatever, if you said that to him you'd probably get somewhere, it'd be better than just living with a crus–"
Momo tackles Kendo and slaps a hand across her mouth to shut her up, and Jiro just sinks up to her neck into the water, hoping Kendo doesn't set her sights on her next.
And all of this happens, devolving into a splash fight while Ibara is just glaring at him, remembering the only small conversation they've ever had. 8
Setting up his laptop and connecting it to the Hero Network, Horizon begins working as all the 1A boys enter. All were wearing UA swim trunks. Horizon notices Sero instantly make a beeline toward Kodai and just shakes his head, delving into his work. 6
'Last known locations…' Horizon is typing away and marking points on a map of Tokyo. The massive region had almost a hundred red pins all across it, but he eventually noticed a pattern.
'Ok, so Stain kills 6 people in each area before the Hero Presence gets increased then he hops to the other side of Tokyo…makes sense, they'd move the stronger Pros where they think he is.
So that's why he's mostly killed D-listers so far. Picking off the weakest of the pack, makes sense.'
Horizon pulls up a list of Heroes, trying to find any connection between them, and at first, he finds nothing. Until…
'There we go. All D-list losers that can't do shit, aside from Inginium at least. Plus they all had a stack of branding and endorsement contracts, completely going against his ideology of being a hero as a service instead of a job.
He doesn't randomly attack heroes, he tracks them. He's more like a hero hunter, or a creepy stalker. 3
He just got done in the outer region of Tokyo…so the next place would be, Shinjuku.'
Horizon looks up to see the other students setting up a game of water polo with a net Momo made, then focuses back on the screen.
'Top heroes in Shinjuku Tokyo…' before long he finds his target, or more accurately, his bait.
'Reacher…the stretchy arm hero, honestly Stain, you'd be doing us a favor…' 10
He continues compiling the data and double-checking his thesis along with a few others. Hoping to catch Stain before his interview Saturday night, five days away.
Leaning back after an hour of working he sees almost everyone getting out of the pool. He also notices Momo and Sato missing. 5
ROOM!
He immediately finds them at the entrance to the school collecting a stack of pizzas, fifteen boxes high.
Since UA is already closed for the summer Lunch Rush isn't available, so other arrangements were made.
Closing his ROOM and ignoring everyone again he puts the finishing touches on his plan, taking out his phone and checking Reacher's public 'Yay!' profile.
'The idiot is always uploading, still working in Shinjuku, guess I'll head to Tokyo tomorrow and keep an eye on him.
The cops must have found this pattern by now, but I guess they either didn't connect the final part. I guess it makes sense, Stain operates like a more sloppy version of how I'd plan hits with mom. 1
He's clearly got some training in guerilla warfare, and I hear he uses a sword, could be fun.'
"Hey, mind if I join you?" Horizon looks up to see Sero holding a pizza box in his hand, and two cans of cold soda in the other, already taking a seat beside him at the rectangular table.
Horizon was currently sitting at the head on one end with Sero to his right.
"I'm surprised you aren't eating with your girlfriend," Horizon says as he takes a slice of pizza.
All the other tables were quickly filling up as everyone got out of the pool to eat, and Horizon noticed Kendo making her way over to him and Sero.
"Dude it's really not like that," Sero says.
"Yes, it is," Kendo sits at the other head of the table with a paper plate in hand carrying her pizza, and a can of soda in the other. "C'mon everyone knows you like Yui."
"What!" Everyone stops what they're doing and turns to look at their table, causing Sero to just pretend he didn't yell anything. "I mean, I don't know what you're talking about."
"C'mon, it's super obvious, you should just tell her already," Kendo says. "I'm pretty sure she knows and is just waiting, if she didn't like you she wouldn't spend so much time with you anyway."
"What? Really?" Sero asks.
"Do you really think she'd spend so many lunch breaks eating with someone from another class just because…really?"
Sero looks genuinely confused, "but you eat with Horizon all the time, does that mean–"
"No," Kendo chuckles at that. "I almost did at first…then I spoke to him and I realized," she looks up at Horizon. "No offense, but you're kinda the worst." 1
"You're objectively wrong," Horizon says. "I'm the best thing that could ever happen to any of you."
Kendo raises a brow at that. "Do you not remember the first time you spoke to Ibara?"
"Hey I call it as I see it, and I don't waste time when I talk." 2
"She didn't deserve that."
"Yes, she did," Horizon says. "I mean c'mon, who walks up to someone and asks them to repent and go to church to 'cleanse their soul,' that's not normal." 1
"She means well, and you didn't have to call her…that."
"Well in my defense," Horizon says. "If she wasn't such a 'god-fearing cultist cunt,' I wouldn't have called her that." 9
"Heathen," Ibara says, standing a few meters away and clearly eavesdropping as she gets her food. 3
Horizon looks directly at her, "pretentious nun…" 3
"Ok stop it," Kendo says loudly, stopping this from escalating any further…again.
"You need to repent," Ibara says, completely ignoring Kendo. 4
"Well I'd say 'go fuck yourself,' but you people still think that'll send you to some fire pit right?" 6
Ibara's vine hair stands up and Kendo hops out of her chair, then raises her hands to try and calm her down.
"He is a disgusting being!" Ibara tells Kendo, and before she can respond Horizon speaks up from behind her, still casually eating a slice of pizza.
"In all the best ways babe, give up the chastity vow and I'll show you…" 3
A single vein bulges on Ibara's forehead, then a moment later she takes a deep breath and calms down. "Violence against thy neighbor is not the way of the lord," she says before walking to the other side of the shaded area to join Kodai and Toru.
Kendo huffs and returns to her seat, giving Horizon an annoyed look. "You know as a Class Rep and HERO, you're supposed to de-escalate situations like that, not make them worse."
"Oh please, if she did anything I would have just warped her to the other side of UA, she could use the walk to calm down."
"That's still awful."
"Whatever, can we get back to this moron now," Horizon gestures at Sero.
"Can we not?" Sero asks.
"So anyway, why haven't you just asked out Yui yet?" Horizon asks.
"It's not that easy man."
"Uh, it literally is–"
"What's easy?" Momo asks as she and Jiro join the table with their meals, sitting to the left side of Horizon, with Jiro closest to him.
"Sero is being a pussy about asking out Yui," Horizon shrugs.
"Oh that," Jiro says.
"You guys know too?" Sero facepalms, now even more embarrassed.
"Dude you told Mina, all the girls in our group chat knows about it, including Kodai."
"That blabbermouth is the only reason I'm even here anyway, girl can't keep anything to herself," Horizon grumbles.
"What do you mean?" Momo asks.
"Well when you made this pool party for the girls from our classes, she told Kirishima, then he told Sero, then Sero asked me to come so he could talk to Kodai and see her in a swimsuit," Horizon says. "I only came so he could ask her out, otherwise I'd be in Tokyo right now…" 2
"I thought you came because I explained that this is a great opportunity for our classes to bond?" Momo asks.
"What? Don't be stupid, why would I ever care about something like that? I'm here because Mei has some equipment for me, wouldn't have come to the pool if Sero wasn't begging me."
"I didn't beg," Sero says.
"I have the chat Sero…it was pathetic." 8
Sero opens his mouth to respond, but just closes it and accepts his fate.
"Too bad Shodai couldn't make it," Kendo says. "Without him, the boys from our class couldn't come, since he's the male Class Rep…technically the overall Vice Representative."
"The short silver-haired guy?" Jiro asks. "I thought Tetsutetsu was the Vice Rep…"
"Nope, it's Shodai."
"What's his Quirk?" Horizon immediately asks.
"Oh, Twin Impact, he gets to remotely trigger a second impact after making contact with something, it's pretty cool and unpredictable," Kendo says. 2
"Honestly I'm kinda glad they couldn't make it," Jiro admits. "Kirishima and Tetsutetsu together always gives me a headache."
Everyone at the table nods in agreement.
After a few moments, Sero asks something that's been bugging him a bit.
"Hey Horizon, why are you so adamant that I ask out Yui? I mean…aren't you all about being the best Hero or something, I figured you'd see girls as a distraction or something."
"A life without love isn't really worth living," he says casually, causing all the nearby tables to fall silent and glance over at him, never expecting to hear something like that.
"You sound like you talk from experience…" Momo says.
"Yeah, I do. I figure if you're interested in someone, you owe it to yourself to tell them, because one day they're here, and the next they're gone. Especially in a career path like ours," everyone immediately thinks of Iida. "You can't afford to waste time, because before you know it, they're gone and you're all alone…"
"But, what if they say no?" Sero asks.
"Then don't be a pussy, just get over it…" 11
All the girls who were listening sighed in disappointment.
'So romantic, but he had to ruin it at the end.' 1
After a few minutes of casual chatter, all while Sero was deep in thought, Kendo nudges Momo.
Momo gives her a confused glance, before Kendo gestures to Horizon, then stares directly at Jiro.
She was the only girl who knew about their shared crush, mainly from Momo confessing about it one night at their internship with Uwabami.
Both girls pretend not to know what she's trying to get them to do, so Kendo decides to raise the stakes.
"So Horizon," she calls out to him, causing him to look up from the messages Mei just sent him. "Since you're so gun-ho about people dating and following their passion for one another…what if, let's say, I liked you?" 44
END– 3
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Chapter 91: CHAPTER 087(I'm The Prize) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"So Horizon," she calls out to him, causing him to look up from the messages Mei just sent him. "Since you're so gun-ho about people dating and following their passion for one another…what if, let's say, I liked you?" 1
The entire area falls silent, and Kendo almost flinches at the glare Momo was shooting at her, while Jiro was just staring with wide eyes…
"Hng!" Kendo tries and fails at keeping a straight face, flinching as a sharp jolt of pain shoots through her leg, casting an annoyed glance at Momo.
The girl had kicked her as if she was trying to break her shin below the table.
Horizon sighs, then looks over at Momo and Jiro, making it obvious that he knows exactly what's happening.
Both girls look at him in horror, realizing that he's known for a while about their feelings.
But they were completely mortified, petrified with fear and embarrassment, not wanting to react and make what was happening even more obvious.
He turns to Kendo, "well, in theory, if I knew someone had a crush on me I'd hope they come to their senses. My life is already filled with enough things pulling me in every direction, don't need to add romance to the mix." 8
"I see," Kendo leans forward, propping up her chin on her hand. "But what if I was too interested in you, that no matter how much of a jerk all my friends say you are, I just can't stop myself." 1
Those words hit Momo and Jiro like an arrow to the heart, having spent many conversations trying to convince themselves to just get over him.
"I feel like you're too smart for that," Horizon says. "Plus I'm not your type."
"Yeah that's true, I prefer passionate and direct guys who are actually kind and nice to people…definitely not you, mostly because of that last part, but can you please humor me?"
Horizon sighs, "fine, I guess we're doing this," he sits back in his chair and thinks for a moment. "Well, if a girl liked me I wouldn't mind, so long as she's actually cute."
"What's your definition of cute?"
"Eh, if she's not fat we can judge from there," he shrugs. 2
"What if it's her Quirk?" 1
"Then I'm sure she can find some guy out there that will accept her as she is…but I don't date fat girls." 5
"How can you say that?" Jiro asks. "You aren't supposed to body shame people, what kind of Hero are you?" 21
"This is being a hero," Horizon says jokingly. "Maybe if I shame them enough they'll hit the gym, see, I'm saving lives, protecting them from heart attacks." 25
Jiro is about to start an argument but Kendo interrupts, "ok what else."
"Well, it'd have to be casual if you and I started dating, hypothetically."
"Obviously hypothetically."
"And of course I'd have fun with other beautiful women," Horizon shrugs, and everyone looks at him with either confusion or disgust. 13
Kendo blinks a few times then comes to her senses, completely thrown for a loop by that last bit of information. "What do you mean?" 1
"What? I figured it's self-explanatory, you would be my girlfriend and I'd occasionally have fun with other women." 9
Kendo looks even more confused, her brain slowly frying as she tries to make sense of this, Momo and Jiro were completely frozen, and Jiro looked disgusted by the very idea.
All while the others were staring in bewilderment.
"Ok," Kendo snaps her fingers. "So you'd want an open relationship?"
"Yeah, but only on my side." 12
Kendo just looks even more confused. "But, how is that fair?"
"It's not," he says without missing a beat. 5
"B-but…what?" Kendo gives up trying to understand on her own. "Why?"
"Because, I'm Horizon," he sees everyone still looking at him confused, and judging by the look Jiro was giving him she probably wanted to stab him, but Momo didn't seem all that surprised the more she thought about it. 1
"Let me explain it like this, alright. So I'm impossibly rich, influential, powerful. World leaders have me on speed dial and are sending me emails every other day with offers of insane proportions to move to their countries. 1
They're willing to do some insane things if I ask. Not to mention I'm one of the single most powerful combatants in the world…all at 16.
Add this to the fact that eventually, I want to have a family of my own, and at that point, she'd have to do nothing but be beautiful, make some babies, not fuck other guys, and deal with the house stuff while I'm out performing the occasional miracle. 26
I'm literally a golden ticket to the easy life for any woman lucky enough to catch my eye. 2
I'm standing at the top of the world, I'm irreplaceable and peerless. And all of this for the low low price, of me getting to fuck whoever I want.
All while my girlfriend or wife or whatever is completely taken care of. 1
See I literally cannot be replaced, I'm the grand prize at the top of the top shelf. 13
Hmm, seems unfair to you?" 3
They all think about it for a moment, and it leaves a rancid taste in Kendo's mouth, but she can see his logic at least. 1
"Ok, that sort of makes sense, even if it's a bit weird…" Kendo says.
"Unless you're a king…or even better, Horizon," he says jokingly. "History is my blueprint on this."
"Ok, but what if a girl you like isn't ok with this?" Kendo asks.
"Tch, so what? I'm too good for any of them, plus beautiful women are everywhere in my world, she'd easily be replaced." 14
BAM!
Jiro slams her palms onto the table and jumps up to her feet, glaring down at Horizon with venom in her teary eyes.
"You! You! You sexist misogyni–" 44
SHAMBLES! 4
She's suddenly swapped for a leaf somewhere on campus.
"Sorry but I don't have any tolerance for crap like that," Horizon says. "She'll walk back in a minute or two…"
"Well, that could have gone a lot better," Kendo sighs as everyone tries to awkwardly pretend that didn't just happen.
"Yeah well, now you know what I'm all about…"
While the casual chatter began once more, and some people dove back into the pool, Momo sat at the edge of the pool staring at nothing in particular.
Taking in everything Horizon said moments ago.
Realizing that both she and Jiro were hesitant to say anything outright to Horizon. Partly because they were scared, and partly because they simply enjoyed things as they were, with the three of them being friends.
'If he even considers us friends and not just classmates,' Momo thinks. 8
But she will admit that part of her still wanted more, she'd never had a crush before, and being homeschooled she'd never even had a friend before. So they were both very important people to her.
Growing up in an environment where arranged business marriages weren't uncommon she understood exactly what Horizon meant.
'He's truly standing at the top of the world, so why would he ever settle for anything less…than everything…'
But her best friend, Kyoka Jiro, was raised in a much more…modern culture.
Momo can't help but frown as she looks at the water moving about as her friends swim. Realizing that it would be difficult to keep them both close to her if she ever moved forward with her crush, assuming she'd ever work up the courage.
And that Kyoka would never indulge her idea of how this could work out for all of them… 3
Eventually, Jiro silently walked back into the pool area and just sat beside Momo, still fuming mad.
Partly angry at Horizon, for even suggesting something that clashed with her worldview so heavily.
But far more enraged at herself…because she didn't completely hate the idea. 29
And both girls just sat in silence for a long while before forcing themselves to try and enjoy the rest of the day.
An hour later Eraser Head comes by and shuts down the fun, telling everyone their pool time was up.
And as everyone shuffles out of the pool area Horizon is still sitting at the table finalizing some things for his summer Hero plans.
"You know you could have handled that a lot better," Kendo says, staying behind a bit as everyone else heads to the showers.
"I prefer to be honest with what I want, besides, hopefully now they'll get over that crush they have."
"Why didn't you just tell them that you're not interested?"
"Because I wouldn't turn down some casual fun, but I figured they'd lose interest once they know what I'm all about."
"And you really never planned to just confront it?" Kendo takes a seat beside him.
"I was hoping they'd get over it over the next month. From tomorrow you'll all be going off to the training camp. No phone or contact with the outside world, including me, for a few weeks. Usually that'll kill a crush, right?"
"Right," Kendo smacks herself on the forehead. "Unless I make you give them something to think about all camp…damn it."
"Yup, you're a moron."
"Hey! I was trying to help my friends face their problems head-on."
"Seems to me like you were just meddling in things that don't concern you." 3
Kendo rolls her eyes at that, "well considering all the rants I've had to listen to about how great or how cool you are from them, I think it concerns me…"
"Well, in their defense, I am amazing."
"Ugh, whatever. What've you been researching here anyway?"
"Oh, by the time you get back from camp I should have already caught Stain," Horizon says as if it's no big deal.
"Stain! Seriously?!"
"He shouldn't be a problem, it's just another villain anyway."
Kendo is almost creeped out by how casual Horizon is about his target. "So you aren't doing this for revenge or anything?"
"Revenge? For what? Iida?"
"Yeah."
"Nope, he's just another name on the list, nothing more and nothing less."
"Well, I guess that's one way to look at it. Most people really don't like anyone that kills heroes, especially Tetsutetsu."
"Steel boy? Why?"
"Some villain killed his dad about a year ago, that's why he joined UA, to protect other people from things like that, just like his dad."
"Who was his dad?"
"Oh, he was the number 14 Pro Hero at the time, Chrome." 15
"Oh, I heard about that, unfortunate…" Horizon says, remembering when he killed Chrome on the roof during that fight at the start of this. 25
"Yeah, well anyway I should go change, and I need to go apologise to Momo and Jiro, I honestly expected that to go a lot better than it did."
"Good luck with that, I'm gonna check on my gear."
A few moments later.
SHAMBLES!
Horizon appears in Mei Hatsume's design studio, seeing the girl work on what appears to be the internal wiring of a piece of chest armor.
"Mei," he calls out, only to get ignored as she grunts in frustration at the noncompliant tech. "Mei!"
She pauses and turns around, glaring at him, "your new visors are on the table," she says harshly then points at the far table, a small metal case the size of a shoebox on it.
"Stressed out?" Horizon asks, a calm and amused tone in his voice.
Mei huffs, "yeah, this damn thing keeps burning out."
"Mmm, maybe you should relax a bit." 2
Mei takes a closer look at him, noticing that this time he didn't come in uniform or Hero Costume.
"You don't have a tie on, and I don't think I've got anything here that–" 4
"It'll be fine," Horizon says, walking over to the light switch and raising his finger to it. "Don't need a blindfold in the dark…" 19
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 92: CHAPTER 088(First Case) 2
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Laying in bed at one of his Tokyo properties, Law is in his full Hero Costume aside from his visor, casually scrolling through updates on the Hero Network with his phone. 4
His sword and hoverboard are on the bed beside him, and one of his new visors is in its compact state in his pocket.
This is his third night spent in this property, and once again he's bored out of his mind.
His ROOM was open, extending to 1500 meters around him in every direction. Enough to easily contain Reacher's nightly patrol pattern, keeping his bait close by.
Suddenly Law sits up, sensing something approaching Reacher, moving quickly.
"Well it's about time…at least I think that's Stain, sensing swords…and throwing knives, that should match the wounds on the other heroes."
He reaches into his pocket and takes out what looks like a black piece of metal the same size as his phone.
Standing up he places it behind his neck and it expands, covering his baklava mask and forming his full visor. 10
Appearing exactly the same as before, but now more easily transportable.
And he even asked Mei to add a camera feature, realizing how useful the body camera footage was for the bank heist that he stopped.
Focusing on Reacher he feels Stain approaching him, sprinting across a rooftop and tackling Reacher as he slingshots out of the alleyway.
He always uses his extended arms to grab the ledges of buildings, but this time it seems that Stain was waiting for him and starts the fight by cutting one of them off.
"Ouch…" Horizon shakes his head, now sensing Reacher trying to run.
Only for two throwing knives to stab his thighs.
"Those probably hit the bone and major artery, he's not going anywhere." 4
Reacher drops to the floor, and he feels stain immediately take out a tanto -short katana-and throw it.
Reacher had extended his arm to the ledge to at least fall into the street, but Stain pierced his limb with the blade, throwing it a moment before the arm could properly begin extending. 1
Horizon feels Reacher flip onto his back, raising his sword to his face and biting it with his teeth, ripping the blade out of his arm and flailing his one remaining arm about to ward off Stain.
"Bad move moron…"
Another slash.
And his one remaining arm is severed on the floor, leaving him to flail about and scream while bleeding out. 3
Stain raises his sword and breaks into a full sprint, leaping a dozen feet -4m-into the air and dropping with a two-handed slash directly at Reacher's skull.
SHAMBLES!
Metal clashes with metal as Horizon suddenly swaps with the blade on the floor and blocks Stain's jagged and damaged katana with his pristine larger blade.
"Wow, you're not what I expected," Horizon says as Stain skids back across the rooftop, caught completely off-guard by this new arrival.
Under the full moon, he could see exactly what Stain was.
A tall and lanky man, wrapped in loose bandages with a long red scarf and mask, all torn and tattered. His chest had a bulletproof vest with blades strapped all across his body, but he was currently only wielding his damaged and worn-out katana. 1
Horizon doesn't move, and neither does Stain, all while Reacher is bleeding out on the floor, fading in and out of consciousness.
Without warning, Stain hurls four knives at Horizon.
"Takt," he speaks for the camera, and stops all the blades in place, holding them in the air. 2
A glamourous stunt that is much more difficult than making something move, to cancel its momentum he has to apply the same about of energy in the other direction, much more difficult, especially on small and fast-moving targets. 2
It would be easier for him to catch a falling bus than to stop a bullet for this reason. 4
Stain throws another set of knives, but this time Horizon raises a hand.
"Curtain," he creates the transparent blue dome around him and Reacher, with both severed limbs also inside it.
Without missing a beat he drops down and places a hand on Reacher, even as Stain rushes forward and slashes at the barrier a few times, not even scratching it.
"Booster Shot," Horizon begins healing Reacher with one hand while maintaining the barrier with the other, right in front of Stain. And the villain stops attacking. "I'll fix your limbs later, right now I just need to stop the bleeding…"
Stain takes a step back, looking genuinely surprised at the scene.
"The great pretender…wasn't a fake Hero?" he asks in a deep raspy voice.
"Just surrender," Horizon says, not caring to debate ideology with Stain.
"Fight or save, glory or service…and you chose service," Stain says with a sick smile. "Like a Hero, a real Hero…like All Might," he immediately turns and begins running away, leaping from roof to roof as fast as he can. 3
'What the hell is he talking about…wait. Does that moron really decide who lives and dies based on that? If you choose to fight or save? That's so dumb…'
A moment later Horizon is done healing Reacher, and the man begins coming back to consciousness.
Thanks to Stain's early departure he was able to drop the barrier and retrieve the limbs.
"Ahh…my arms hurt, what happened?" Reacher stirs awake.
"I reattached them, they'll be sore for a few days but you'll be fine," Horizon says as he sits the man up. "Just stay behind me alright."
"What?" Reacher asks, completely confused, not seeing any danger around them.
Without warning, Horizon summons one of his cards to his hand and throws it forward.
"Shambles," Stain swaps with the card, being ripped from his location nearly 1km away.
The sudden change in location causes the villain to freeze, "warping others, how troublesome," he growls, turning to square up against Horizon.
"Saving or fighting, right? Well, I can do both, and I'm really damn good at them, so, please surrender," Horizon says in a calm voice, sword drawn at his side.
Stain lowers into a combat stance, ready to rush forward, "I don't want to kill you, I don't kill real heroes, but I'll just cut you up enough that it puts you to sleep," his eyes drop down to Reacher who was sitting behind Horizon. "And I'll have to kill that one all over again." 6
Horizon hears Reacher make a scared noise behind him and has to suppress his groan, rolling his eyes in his visor, "don't worry, he won't get past me."
Hearing those words Stain feels his blood racing, "a heroic declaration that the people behind you would always be safe, I just have to test it!" he rushes forward. "Show me your resolve Hero!" 5
"It was more like a fact," Horizon says as Stain jumps and slashes diagonally. "Incision," he says for the recording as their blades clash. 1
Stain's worn-down blade is easily cut in half and Horizon's katana slashes into his left shoulder, carving all the way down to his right hip.
"Shambles!" Horizon swaps places with the shattered blade, avoiding the spray of blood that hits Reacher and grabbing Stain by the arm. "Booster Shot!" He swings him around overhead and slams him into the concrete roof, cracking it and nearly sinking Stain into it.
"Argh!" Stain feels his arm that was grabbed completely shatter along with the connected shoulder and collar bone. He reaches for a throwing knife with his other hand, swinging it across his own body to stab Horizon in the shin.
CRACK!
Horizon kicks Stain's fingers that were holding the blade as hard as he can, Booster Shot plus his steel-tipped Hero Costume boots shattered all the bones in those fingers and fracture the wrist, as well as knocking the hand away.
"That's enough," Horizon drops to a knee and puts a hand on Stain's head, using his superior strength to easily pins the man to the floor. "Counter Shock!"
"ARRRGHH!" Stain's short-lived scream is punctuated by the silent rooftop.
"Cybernetic upgrades," Horizon shakes his head. "Those make you really damn vulnerable to electrical attacks, not that it would have mattered. No more terrorizing the street, Hero Killer Stain," he makes sure that the camera gets a full breakdown of what's happening before turning around.
The only thing the camera sees is Reacher looking at Horizon with stars in his eyes and a massive smile on his face. "You did it, and you save me, thank you!" 4
"No need to thank me, this is just what heroes do, now let's get this guy to the cops, then I can do a proper checkup on you. Sounds good?"
"Yeah, that sounds great…"
Horizon makes sure to give the best first impression possible of his combat and overall style, because this will be his first case as a Provisionally Licensed Hero, so he had to make it count… 6
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 93: CHAPTER 089(Curiosity)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
All across the world, millions of screens shift from whatever they were looking at to one of the most important live videos of the year.
The 200 Million worldwide views immediately see a stunning woman.
Chitose Kizuki, or as her villain associates know her, Curious. The head of public relations and propaganda for the Meta Liberation Army. 5
The secret lover of Rikiya Yotsubashi, Re-Destro, former leader of the Meta Liberation army, but still acting as the leader to all the non-executive members. But in truth, he has now demoted to second in command under their new leadership. 5
She was a slender woman, only thirty years old, and already the head of the largest publishing company in Japan, a feat achieved by a combination of passion, hard work, and having powerful supporters. 1
The viewers saw her, with pale blue skin and light purple hair, long and flowing past her waist, nearly hiding the large golden hoop earrings behind the strands. Poised and elegant in a dark purple dress, her black eyes and blue pupils looking directly at the camera, a delightful smile on her lips.
She appears to be in a lounge of some sort, sitting on a luxurious single-seat couch, a coffee table in front of her with two tea cups and a copy of her own book.
And beside her on a larger couch is the much-anticipated guest.
Horizon, in full Hero Costume, waiting patiently for her to begin. Sitting so close to her people finally got a proper look at exactly how large he was, now almost the exact same size as Endeavor, only 1cm shorter. 5
Glancing between him and Chitose in all of her 155cm -5ft2-glory made him seem much more intimidating.
"Welcome, everyone, to this much anticipated exclusive interview with Japan's rising star, Horizon," she announces in a sweet voice and gestures to him.
"I'm always happy to help people get to know me Ms. Kizuki," Horizon says politely, giving the camera a small wave.
"Oh, please call me Chitose, I'm hoping we'll be friends by the end of this," she says half-jokingly.
"Wow, I thought we already were friends," Horizon feints offense, getting a chuckle from her.
"Well, then I guess we are, so, how about you introduce yourself to the people at home and we can get into what they all want to see…"
"Gladly," he looks directly at the camera. "Hi everyone, I am Horizon, Doctor, UA First Year Student, Class Representative of the now famous Class 1A, Quirk Specialist, and most recently, Provisional Hero operating within Japan, and eventually, a Pro Hero protecting Japan." 2
"Wow, that's quite an impressive resume, and all of this at only 16."
"Well, I wake up early," he says jokingly. 10
"And are you ready for the long list of questions I've prepared? I've also scoured the internet for the most popular mysteries and theories people have about you, and some of those are rather interesting."
"I can handle it, we've got an hour or two to chat anyway."
"That's exactly what I want to hear, so let's begin with the most relevant question regarding your introduction," Chitose takes out a small red notepad from beside her leg and flips it open. "So why exactly does someone as wealthy and I assume influential as you, decide to spend his time-fighting villains?
I'm sure if the leaked information about your miracle doctor business is to be believed, you can retire now and never have to work again."
"I completely understand this line of thinking," Horizon says. "What I've done truly isn't logical. Nobody with such an easy life, at least no sane person, would go looking for conflict. Go looking to join a line of work where you have people that are willing and able to hurt or kill you. It simply isn't logical.
But heroes aren't logical. They never have been and never will be, their desire to protect others overcomes logic, and that's why I do it. Lots of heroes are in it for fame or money, but I have those, I'm just here to save people. 21
Nobody becomes a firefighter because of how well it pays, at least not if you don't absolutely have to. You do it because you want to help people that need help, and you're willing to get hurt for them.
That's why I'm at UA. That's why I work so hard. That's why I started this path to being a Pro Hero in the first place, because someone out there needs me to save them, and I think that's enough of a reason to do anything…" 6
Millions of hearts at lit by the conviction in his voice, and Chitose finds herself giving this man, the most dangerous threat to their movement, a genuine smile. 1
But she has answers to excavate.
"You say that, but you famously criticized your classmates and millions of Pro Heroes around the world for deciding to become a hero, in your grandiose rant before you won the Sports Festival - congratulations on that by the way-, but don't you think that makes you a hypocrite?"
"Not at all, I believe it can be easily misconstrued to appear that way but those are two entirely different choices that result in the same outcome."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Well, the main issue I have is that most people don't acknowledge the risk. Most of my classmates didn't even think past the fame and fortune of being a Pro, or were so caught up in their hero worship that they didn't consider the true risk of this job.
Heroes die all the time. And worse than dying, villains can attack your families, it's surprisingly easy for the average person with an internet connection to find where you live, especially if they know your face and Quirk.
Everyone ignores this because we naturally want to think that we're special. That the bad things will never happen to us. 'We won't get sick, so we don't need insurance,' that mentality.
True and absolute arrogance, in its most selfish form, it's absolutely disgusting, and I stand by everything I said during the Sports Festival…" 4
Chitose nods stiffly, her heart sent on a small race by the true intensity and vitriol of his words. Being a villain sitting only feet away from Horizon was stressing her seasoned journalist nerves. 6
"I see, and what makes you so different from them exactly?" she asks. 1
"Because I've already lost everything," Horizon says casually, as if it were nothing. "What are villains going to do? Kill me? Take my money? So what," he shrugs.
"You aren't worried about losing those things?" She asks in genuine amazement.
"They don't matter, the only thing that matter is who you go home to every night. Siblings, parents, kids, and I don't have any of that. I go home to an empty house, and train, every night. They can't take anything that can hurt me, because I already lost is all, now I don't really have anything left to lose. Atleast nothing that I genuinely value." 14
"I see…" she takes a moment to appreciate the bit of genuine sadness in this voice before continuing. "And do you ever plan to change that?" 2
"Hmm, what do you mean?"
"Well, the people, mostly women, are curious about what kind of women you like, and if you ever plan to start that family of your own that was mentioned at the Sports Festival. You did say that your visor was partly to protect them after all."
"Ahh, of course, the dating questions."
"Unavoidable for any celebrity I'm afraid," Chitose gives an apologetic look.
"Well, the visor and body glove are both Lifestyle Support items–"
"So they never come off?"
"I can manage a few minutes without them, but let's just say there is no Horizon without them." 3
"And yet you chose a line of work where they're likely to break, is that the smartest idea?"
"Well maybe I just like to live dangerously," Horizon says. "And as for me dating, I've currently got a lot on my plate, so dating anyone would be entirely selfish as I just don't have any time for that. I think everyone deserves better than that…" 2
"I can't help but agree with you," Chitose says. From her experience, she wishes she had more time with Rikiya, but they both lead powerful companies in Japan and barely have any free time.
Horizon nods along, knowing exactly the secret romance she couldn't mention.
"Now, with the gossip questions out of the way, let's get into the hero talk."
"Gladly, what would you like to know?"
"Well, for starters, your Quirk, is there anything you can tell us about that?"
"Sure, so my Quirk actually pulls energy from the Earth itself for me to manipulate the world around me with no limitations outside of creativity. It's an infinite power for me to use however I want." 6
Chitose's eyes open wide, "really?"
"No I'm just messing with you," Horizon laughs. "Half the fun of being Mystery Class is that nobody else knows how it works, that means no matter how ridiculous the things I say I can do, part of you has to believe me."
"So may I assume you won't be sharing any new information about it?"
"I've shown off my abilities and even gave a rundown at the Sports Festival. I've gotten stronger since then but nothing has changed that much, and my video from two a few nights ago when I took down Stain gives a closer look at how I fight." 2
"Yes, the video on your profile that has nearly one billion views, can we please talk about that."
"Well I assumed we would, what would you like to know?"
"Why did you go after Stain?"
"Well, his name explains that quite well, 'Hero Killer Stain', seems simple enough. He was actively hurting people, I decided to stop it."
"Was it perhaps also because he killed one of your classmates? Tenya Iida."
"Not at all," Horizon says. "Iida dying was a tragedy, and likely an avoidable one at that. But it did not sway my motivations and intentions at all. I simply wanted to stop Stain from killing people." 1
"Some people say you may have wanted revenge, that's why they think you went alone."
"No, I'm strictly business when doing hero work. The reason I went alone was purely a strategic move. And if I wanted revenge, there would be no camera. I recoded it so people can get a glimpse of how I operate and be able to hold me accountable."
"I see, but how exactly was it more strategic to not have some backup?"
"In this case, I did some research and realized that the minute the police got ahold of Stain's pattern they'd allocate more heroes from nearby areas to where they expect him to be and where he was last spotted.
This is why I was in Hosu in the first place, Burnin and I were going there to help beef up patrols. But after that incident every time they'd organize that movement he'd notice it, then head to a completely different area.
This way I worked alone so there wasn't a swarm of heroes to alert him, and thankfully it worked out. He didn't get to kill anyone in Shinjuku because I stopped him."
"And earned his twisted sense of respect, now people online are referring to you as a 'true hero', using his exact words."
Horizon shakes his head at that, "maybe those people should reconsider where they get their ideology from. I personally wouldn't take guidance from a serial killer who murders students and Pro Heroes. 1
Besides, it doesn't matter why people want to become a Pro Hero. I never get upset at people for their reasons. Fame and fortune are perfectly fine objectives. Once they understand the risk and can actually be valuable in the position, then they can do whatever they want."
"I see, well taking down Stain was a great start to your career. Already working independently, although you are on paper a Sidekick at the Endeavor Hero Agency, how does that work?"
"Well, Endeavor and I have an understanding. He trusts that I am as capable as I appear, and of course, he'll call me in if a big case lands on his desk, but he lets me do my own thing."
"In Minato Tokyo mostly, All Might's turf."
"Not for much longer, it'll be mine after I graduate," Horizon says.
Chitose stares at him in shock, "what do you mean?"
"Well, there won't be any competition by then…" 15
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 94: CHAPTER 090(Puzzle Solved?)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"Well, there won't be any competition by then…"
Horizon's words strike fear into the hearts of millions, and sets a sinister smile on the face of a few heinous people.
"What do you mean? Is All Might planning to retire?" Chitose uses all her focus to sound worried and not let her excitement surface.
"No no, he's determined to be a hero as much as possible," Horizon says. "But All Might just turned 50, do people really expect him to be their hero for another 50 years?"
"Oh, so then what exactly are you saying?"
Horizon sits back for a moment and considers how he should word this, then he nods and just speaks honestly.
"The fact is, All Might is 50, he does so much work, an insanely disproportional amount in fact. That other heroes have slowly become complacent and weak.
Even if they don't realize it, they've started just depending on All Might to do most of the work himself, but he's only one man. 1
Everyone thinks he's invincible, but time is undefeated, and eventually, it'll beat him too, and this country isn't ready for a world without All Might. Minato Tokyo is a perfect example of that.
Villains are becoming more populous and bold there every day because he's teaching in Musutafu now, that's a microcosm for what'll happen in all of Japan within ten years maybe. And heroes aren't ready."
"But Japan has 116 thousand Pro Heroes," Chitose says.
"Yeah, a good number on paper. And those same papers will tell you that our society is oversaturated with Pro Heroes, but none of that data matters when the people are useless. 5
I was appalled by what I saw at my license exam. The government is going for a quantity-over-quality approach, allowing in thousands of people who have no place on a battlefield, especially not as heroes.
Obviously not everyone is a combat-oriented Hero, Thirteen and Uwabami are the top search and rescue heroes for a reason, but a lot of people are going to be in combat-based environments and have no business being there. 1
Our society is too over-reliant on All Might holding us up on his shoulders, and the moment he steps down everything will descend into chaos. Nobody wants to think of a world without him, but if you don't accept this reality then how can you prepare for it? 6
The only Pro Hero who never accepted this status quo, who kept pushing to do as much as he possibly can, is Endeavor, and that's why I'm working with him and nobody else.
Half of all the Pro Heroes aren't worth the plastic their license is printed on, just sitting in their office or walking down the street collecting money and attention. 1
That's why the Nomu attacks on the other Hero Courses have been so successful, most of those Nomu aren't anywhere near as strong as the USJ Nomu. Yet dozens of Pro Heroes are dying every time they show up.
The League of Villains realized this status quo and is punishing us for it, because they know All Might can't be everywhere. So yeah, there is no competition, and apparently, I'm the only one seeing this problem and taking steps to prepare for the eventuality. 1
All Might is 50 and Endeavor is 46…who is gonna be your Symbol Of Peace after them, some lazy hero like Hawks? Tch, I don't think so…" 10
"I see, that is a scary reality to accept for most people," Chitose says. "People around my age have never even known a world without All Might protecting us…"
"Accept it and prepare for it, that's all you can do."
"I agree," Chitose was both excited at the idea of a world without All Might, but also terrified at the thought of a more powerful and mature Horizon taking his place, someone who they seemingly can't even hide from. "And how would you recommend this be done?
Some people have always been pushing for the Quirk restrictions to be lifted to an extent so they may take a more active part in stopping villains, do you agree? Should those with what society deems as 'heroic Quirks' be allowed to use them?"
Horizon takes a moment to understand the question. Realizing immediately that she was asking about a few different issues.
"No I don't think that's the right way to handle this at all, because then you'd just get the same problem with more collateral damage," he says. "Allow me to make it clear that I don't believe in these nonsense labels. There are no inherently 'heroic' or 'villainous' Quirks, only Quirks and the people who use them.
If you gave All Might's Quirk to a bad person you'd have a supervillain. So the Quirk doesn't make the person into a hero or villain, only what they chose to do with it.
Putting people in these stupid brackets, especially as children, is how you get villains. Because if all your life people are telling you that you were born to be a villain…why would you bother trying to become anything else?" 5
"I couldn't agree more," Chitose says. "For both my appearance and my Quirk people always expected me to become a villain, I've had to overcome a lot of adversity to get here because of how I was born." 4
"And I wish the world would stop doing that, and allow people to become who they want to be, instead of simply expecting them to conform to a hero-centric worldview. And clearly, you've overcome all of that to be the head of a massive publishing company, well done Chitose." 1
"Thank you," she gives a polite nod. "But why don't you think people should simply be allowed to use Quirk, and what about if the Quirks were harmless?"
"Because that's how you cause chaos and villains. Allowing people to use their Quirks will cause chaos. For every person that can fly a house will burn down because some kids were playing with a fire Quirk.
This will lead to only some Quirks being publicly accepted. Not to mention some people without flashy Quirks will begin to feel left out as everyone around them is using a Quirk while they can't, the same problem some people have now with the Quirk License system.
The alternative would be making only the harmless Quirks legal to use, but that's just another form of discrimination for things that people cannot control. 2
Discrimination and envy will lead to resentment…and that's how some of the worst and most horrific crimes happen.
In this world, some Quirks are the equivalent of being born with a gun for a hand a few hundred years ago. Our society works as a superhuman society because everyone must assume unless they know otherwise, that if they're in a room with strangers, at least one person was born with a gun for a hand, or some other dangerous Quirk. 3
This subliminal fear and understanding keeps people in line, that's why more people don't go around using their Quirk. Villains tend to be people either stupid, desperate, or arrogant enough not to care about this unspoken rule." 1
"So you're saying a world with open and unrestricted Quirk use would devolve into chaos, and a world where only harmless Quirks are allowed to be used would build more villains?"
"Exactly, the best way is the current system, where nobody but the Pro Heroes are allowed to use their Quirks. Therefore everyone has a path to get a Quirk License that they can choose to take."
"But not everyone has a Quirk that can get them there," Chitose says.
"True, but life isn't fair. And at least this way they're part of the 99% of the world that isn't a Pro Hero and don't feel as left out, even if I'm sure some of them will still try to become villains in some attempt to prove they don't need a license.
Atleast until an actual Pro Hero puts them in jail…"
"I see, but what do you recommend we do to prepare for whatever the country will look like in twenty years?"
"Well, you'll have me here, so that handles a lot of major threats," Horizon says jokingly. "But the problem is that we're saturated with useless Pro Heroes. 1
Like Compass Kid…he literally points in cardinal directions, that's his entire Quirk. Or Leaf Man…he throws leaves at people, and they aren't even that sharp, if you can't even stop a corner store robbery why are you even a Pro Hero? 8
The 116 thousand Pros in Japan need to stay as is for now, but the license exams need to be improved.
One thousand people passed at my venue alone, and everyone has six tries in their time at Hero Courses, or they can even be held back to try again later.
I think they should only pass around 50 to 100 people for each exam, preferably 50. Making it more competitive to weed out less valuable people.
A more competitive environment will force improvement. Right now Japan is relaxed because we have All Might and that's what'll ruin us. Make the exams more competitive as well as the actual environment outside it.
Set a percentage of incidents resolved per region, and if Pro Heroes working in the area can't do their part, kick them out. Do it gradually over time so you don't have an influx of unemployable citizens but over ten years it should be done.
Currently, a lot of Pro Heroes deal with one incident per week because they patrol in the middle of nowhere out in the country and just accept a government salary every month. That behavior is only tolerated because All Might does so much work that his presence suppressed crime across the country. Currently, we can afford to have them slacking off, but the world won't always be peaceful.
We need to crush those pathetic parasites before they get us killed…"
"Wow, you're clearly very…passionate, about this," Chitose says.
"I don't like people who do things like that, sitting on the sidelines and allowing others to do all the work but still getting a piece of the prize…I don't believe in participation trophies. You either do the work or you get nothing." 9
"I completely agree," she nods along. "But as a Quirk specialist, aren't you concerned about what such a difficult environment will do to us as a species?" 3
"What? I'm sorry I don't understand the question."
Chitose takes a deep breath, knowing exactly how much was on the line, how close she and the other executives came to death just so she'd be forced to ask this one question.
"Quirks are said to be an evolutionary product of a plague centuries ago, humans adapted faster than ever before, leaping hundreds of years ahead in one generation.
Because of this, some people are worried that we can't actually keep up with that adaptation. Your Quirk Mastery Thesis has been publicly adopted by Hero Courses around the world and was even approved by the United Nations Quirk Research department. 1
However, a popular theory was rejected by them a century ago and has become something of a dark rumor or myth, I was hoping as a Quirk Specialist I could get your opinion on it."
"The Quirk Singularity Theory, right?" Horizon asks in a bored voice.
"Yes, that's the one…"
"Well, that matter is quite simple. You're worried that people will instinctively breed more powerful Quirks because of the suggestions I just made. And since the theory said this type of instinctual breeding will create Quirks that the human body can't handle…those generations will eventually begin to, self-destruct, for lack of a better term, Right?"
"Precisely."
"Well, contrary to what some fringe cultists and fanatics will have you believe, that theory is actually a pile of garbage." 1
"Really?"
"Entirely. Whoever wrote it was a pessimist with no faith in humanity as a biological lifeform, they clearly saw Quirks as a deific gift of some kind that was so far beyond us, and that adoration of Quirks lead to negligence of the obvious. 7
We adapted to Quirks in one generation.
Yes some of us are born with mutations that make it difficult to safely use our own Quirks, but mutations happen in every species. Only ten in every hundred million people have those, and it's almost always because of a hereditary gene issue from a recent relative like a grandparent who was Quirkless.
As the generations keep going on there will be fewer Quirkless people. In my generation, less than 0.01% are Quirkless or born with such a mutation. Humans are annoyingly resilient, the earth wants us gone more than any other species, but we're stubborn. 5
Our bodies will naturally adapt along with Quirks, we won't just suddenly start being born with Quirks we can't handle, at least not on a large scale. There will only be a very rare few that have that issue. And I'm actually a perfect example of why this theory is garbage."
"You? How so?" Chitose asks.
"Think about it. Of all the people in this world, don't you think if this theory was real the two people with Mystery Class Quirks, would be the first to die…"
"Ah, that's an excellent point, I hadn't even considered that."
"Assuming reproduction rates remain as they are and all the people with the absolute strongest Quirks only have kids with each other. If we ignore the side effects of inbreeding, I've already estimated it'll take nearly 1300 years before the first person outside of a freak mutation, is naturally born with a Quirk comparable to mine or Star and Stripe's. Humanity will be fine."
"Well, I'm sure many people will be happy to hear that," Chitose sounds genuinely relieved, especially since it would now be easier to get people into the Meta Liberation Army. "So, is it entirely impossible?"
"In a world of superhumans nothing is impossible, especially when you consider that you're talking to the guy that can warp around and divide reality."
"That, was not the answer I wanted to hear, if I'm being honest."
"You don't have anything to worry about, the only way for a Quirk Singularity to occur would be if–"
Horizon freezes. Then leans forward, clearly deep in thought. All the pieces came together in his mind. Something so far-fetched that he didn't even consider it, especially since as far as he knows, he was the only person that can make it possible.
He completely forgets about the cameras on them as all the puzzle pieces come together…
"The Nomus," Horizon says in a low voice. 1
"I'm sorry but, what do you mean the Nomus?"
He sits up and looks at her, "the Nomus are the key. We've been looking at them all wrong. The cops and heroes think that the League of Villains just wants to destroy all heroes, but that's not a realistic plan. 1
They want control. Nomus aren't weapons or a labor force, at least not intentionally. That's why no two are the same. They're experiments, intentional and focused experiments.
Because people think that the Quirk Singularity will make people strong enough to end the world, and the only way to make that theory into reality is…to force multiple foreign Quirks into one body."
Chitose's eyes opened wide, horrified that not only had he figured this all out so quickly, but that someone was actually attempting this insane plan. "Can they pull that off?"
"It's not impossible, but I'll never be stable unless–" Horizon considers what they'd need to do, then shakes his head. "No, they can't do it. The best they'll be able to do is make stronger Nomu." 1
"So they plan to make an invincible Nomu?"
"No, Nomus are just failed trials…they plan to weaponize the Quirk Singularity, they plan to upgrade Shigaraki…" 38
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 95: CHAPTER 091(New Plans)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"What an unexpected outcome…" All For One's deep and shrill voice mutters quietly. 4
He was sitting in his dark room atop the large and comfortable chair, multiple life support devices plugged into him to help keep him stable.
And off to the side was a screen playing the final moments of Horizon's interview between himself and Chitose.
The entire interview took just over an hour, but for the future demon lord of Japan, it gave enough answers for a lifetime.
Standing beside All For One at the moment was Kurogiri, the most essential of all their Nomu, currently waiting patiently for any command his master gives.
"Call Ujiko," All For One commands, and the screen hears his voice and obeys.
"Master," Dr. Ujiko answers, his camera shut off so only his voice was coming through.
"I assume you saw that interview doctor…"
"Of course, and once again I must insist that we do away with those pathetic League Of Villain children. You only took control of the Paranormal Liberation Army weeks ago when this interview was announced, and look at how well they did with your instructions.
Perfectly executed, they got all the answers we needed out of Horizon, without alerting him of any villain involvement."
All For One sighs, once again having to deal with his friend being sick of sinking precious Nomu resources into Shigaraki's little games.
Kurogiri speaks up, "shall I transport Gigantomachi to terminate the League Of Villains master?"
All For One shakes his head, slightly annoyed that he seems to be the only person interested in keeping Shigaraki around. "No Kurogiri, I still have use for Tomura Shigaraki." 1
"Do you still intend to stick to your original plan?" Ujiko asks.
"No, we now have confirmation that the plan is unnecessary. I no longer need any successor, transferring my original Quirk into storage until Tomura is ready for it is pointless. And I certainly prefer using the superior original than the cloned version I would have had." 2
"Then why do we need the brat if you don't plan to pass everything down to him?"
"Because, my dear friend, I will live forever. But before that, I will use Tomura as an ace to wrench All Might's heart, my greatest heinous act to spite him, and Nana Shimura. Until then we shall keep Tomura in the dark about the Meta Liberation Army, so long as they don't clash we shall be fine."
"I shall inform Tomura of this new rule," Kurogiri says.
"Yes, now doctor, shall we discuss the exact contents of that interview? It seems Horizon is already lined up to the next Symbol Of Peace, I'd like to do something about that if possible, after I get healed."
"Hmm, do you still believe he can heal you?" Ujiko asks. "The risk is quite immense, exposing yourself to someone so close to All Might, it could be detrimental." 2
"Has he not proven his genius time and time again doctor?"
"Well, he has. Although I still believe my Quirk Singularity theory is correct, I can admit there is much merit in his analysis. His mind is wasted as a hero, just imagine all the things he could do without those silly things like 'Human Rights' and 'War Crimes' limiting him, nonsense ideals only made to hinder the progress of science…he could be truly great standing beside us." 9
"True. And he clearly has a deep understanding of Quirks and medicine. Not to mention his terrifying intellect and intuition, Aoyama was able to confirm many things, but listening to those many recordings of him talking in school is nothing compared to the way he so easily figured out our goals." 8
"He's a problem master."
"No Ujiko, he's the one and only solution. Because I now know that for certain he can heal me…"
"Hmm, perhaps we should sacrifice the spy and have him ask for some sort of confirmation. The moment you make contact they will surely find him, so it makes no difference. Not to mention the risk involved in revealing yourself is too great, they'll instantly be searching for you."
"A problem if I followed our backup plan. But now I shall retain my original Quirk, I have nothing to fear. But of course, this is assuming they'd ever find me. I have purposely kept crime low in this area since Horizon entered the scene. His omnipresence is quite problematic, I can't afford to have him anywhere near me."
"I see, and what exactly did he say that has you so sure that he can perform this operation?"
"Because he said he can." 1
"What?"
"You still fail at understanding people Ujiko, Horizon is a being of arrogance and absolute certainty in himself. When asked if creating a perfected Nomu was possible, his exact words were, 'they can't do it…', so he must think that he can."
"And with his track record, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch. But rebuilding someone from the genes up, even with a century of practice I'm still working on the process."
"Yes, but as brilliant as you are my friend, you aren't Horizon. Do remember that he's a living miracle doctor, you should try to have some faith…" 3
"Sigh, alright, but only because this man is our only hope at fully healing you."
"Thank you."
"But that leaves an even bigger problem now," Dr. Ujiko says. "Now we know he can heal you, how do we make an appointment?" 1
"Hmm," All For One falls deep into thought, considering his hundreds of contacts in and out of Japan that had enough leverage to make most people in the world do whatever he wants. But none of them could affect people like Nezu or Horizon. 9
They were the kind of individuals that nations would have gone to war for just centuries ago, they cannot be pressured by political or financial means. And he knew physically threatening Horizon wouldn't work, it would be the same as if he was threatened, and it would end very poorly.
His usual offer in cases like this would be a Quirk. Giving someone a second Quirk, a minor one that wouldn't overload their brain. That was enough to make most people do whatever he wants. 1
'His arrogance would see that as an insult, and we'd get into a pointless fight…'
"We need leverage," All For One says. "Aoyama reported that Horizon has no family, and from what he said during the interview I detected no lies." 2
"Classmates?" Ujiko asks.
"He doesn't particularly care about them."
"What about Principal Nezu? With an army of Nomus, Gigantomachia, yourself, and Kurogiri, it's possible."
"But unlikely, not to mention holding a hostage doesn't work with Horizon. I believe the best plan is to wait. One of my friends in the Hero Public Safety Commission gave me some interesting information and I'm trying to make certain connections. But it will be a week or more before any answers are found." 3
"That would leave two weeks before he heads to the training camp to meet up with his classmates, a perfect place for an ambush."
"Not an ambush doctor, just a chat. I have nothing to gain from fighting him, but everything to gain from bringing him to our side." 4
"I see, Shakedown is almost ready for such an encounter, either way, that is, it should be ready in ten days." 8
"Good, but I'd like to have as much information as possible before going into a potentially dangerous situation, at least now that I'm not as powerful as I once was, how about we provide a little exercise to Horizon…"
"Hmm, what do you suggest?" Ujiko asks.
"Let's just send a few demolition squads of Nomu into Tokyo and see how he does. Such an intense situation should force him to show more of his cards."
"Standard Nomu?"
"Mmm, no, I think it's about time he had a rematch with the Brainless, let's see exactly how much stronger he has become since the USJ…" 26
"This should provide useful information," Ujiko says. "Kurogiri, warp all the Nomu from lab 17 into Shibuya, I'm sending them a command to destroy everything and kill everyone…" 1
"Understood," Kurogiri says before expanding his Warp Gate and leaving the room…
While these plans were being made, just above the Shoowaysha publishing building, standing on his hoverboard 100 meters above the city, was Horizon. 3
Currently, he was apparently looking out at the massive Tokyo area, the skyline expanding beyond the reach of his vision, brightly lit to the point where he couldn't see any stars in the night sky.
But an important conversation was taking place in his visor at the moment.
"And you're sure about this?" Nezu asks from the other side of the call.
"Of course," Horizon says. "Cloning takes a lot of power and requires these preservatives and chemicals in bulk, track those shipments and you'll be one step closer to finding the Nomu production facility."
"Hmm, alright, I'll forward this to the police, but how did you figure out that they were cloning."
"How else would they have so many copies of Super Regeneration? It's a one in 300 million Quirk but they've had multiple Nomu with it, seems fishy. Not to mention at the rate they're burning through genetic material it makes sense to invest in cloning.
Cloning sentient beings is against humanitarian law, but clearly they don't care about those laws. And since only around 5% of Quirks can be used offensively in any useful capacity they can't just destroy every useful Quirk when a Nomu dies, they need spares."
"Curate as many useful Quirks as possible for when they operate on Shigaraki…how terrifying."
"Pretty much."
"But I must ask, what if a person was born with multiple Quirks? Would all of this be necessary?"
"What? That's a weird question," Horizon says.
"I'm simply curious."
"Ok, well…if you were born with multiple Quirks your body would have a safeguard so all of this wouldn't be necessary, not at all. You'd just exist like that and be fine," Horizon shrugs. "But it's not like that's possible. The way Quirks work there can't be one person with multiple Quirks." 3
"What do you mean?"
"The best way to describe it is like this, Quirks aren't attachments onto a person, they're part of a person. It's like adding a scope to a gun, the scope is the Quirk. Then you add a laser sight, in a sense that's another Quirk.
But the entire thing, the entire person is still one weapon, with appropriate attachments. That's why it all works together. So suddenly instead of a scope and a laser sight, the Quirk is just 'attachments' or something like that."
"Like Todoroki?"
"Exactly. If he was a Nomu he'd have Endeavor's Hellflame Quirk, and his mom's ice Quirk. But since he was born like that his genetic structure made it into one Quirk, half-hot half-cold.
Compared to that, Nomu is like the gun but instead of proper connectors you use tape to hold it all together, that's why they aren't fully stable, because the tape is always falling apart. 9
A person cannot be born with multiple Quirks, because when you're being made from the genes up they'll be treated as one Quirk, even if you have multiple abilities."
"I suppose we've grown so accustomed to Quirks that we identify abilities as Quirks rather than the Quirks themselves," Nezu says.
"Yeah, that's why Shoto's Quirk name is so stupid, Endeavor was clearly thinking of it as his Quirk and his wife's being in one body, but it's an entirely new Quirk…"
"I suppose I should add this to your Quirk Specialist data, along with your breakdown of the Nomu structure."
"Yeah, that'll–-"
BOOM!
A loud explosion rattles the area, reaching all the way to Horizon from nearly 20km away.
"What was that?!" Nezu's panicked voice asks.
"Check the news, I'll call you back later–"
Horizon hangs up and begins racing into the city on his hoverboard, moving 100km/h.
Toward a massive skyscraper that was on it was down, about to flatten the streets around it that were already on fire… 1
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 96: CHAPTER 092(King Of The Hill) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me…" Horizon mutters, the image of a city on fire reflected on his visor. 1
Flying above everything on his hoverboard he sees dozens of pale green or blue Nomus running rampant, attacking anyone they can find and already engaged with a few Pro Heroes.
He could also see a few news helicopters and drones flying about.
At the epicenter of the attack is a massive skyscraper, 200m -650ft-tall, the upper fifty stories currently tilting over as it threatens to flatten the surrounding buildings, the bottom ten floors already an inferno burning away at the supports.
ROOM
Horizon creates a ROOM 2km wide, as always with him in the middle, still hovering high above the city.
"Shambles," he swaps out Nomu by the pairs for rumble close to the epicenter of the attack.
Second by second he pulls them away from scared and panicking fleeing civilians and brings them back to the middle of the battlefield.
"Now I need to get people out of here," he draws his sword and turns his board, facing away from the hoard of Nomu that the Pro Heroes were currently trying and failing to take down.
"There, a deserted area," Horizon points the tip of his blade at a faraway building, located at a massive intersection that was already empty. "Amputate!" he casually swings out, slashing one of the ten-story buildings diagonally.
The building is immediately slashed, and the weight is enough to make it slide down to the streets below and shatter.
"That's enough rubble, now I can get these people out of here," he holds his sword to the side and focuses. "Find all the people close to the danger, then…Shambles, shambles, shambles, shambles…" dozens of times he repeats.
He's absolutely sure to narrate, because his visor was recording, and he wants everyone to know exactly how capable he is.
As he's almost finished evacuating the unfortunate people that got stuck on the battlefield Horizon feels a sudden annoyance behind him, "seriously…" he looks down and sees a flying pale blue Nomu with bird wings ascending toward him. 3
Looking past it he sees groups of up to ten Pro Heroes unable to even take down one Nomu at a time, thankfully more were arriving by the second.
"They can't even stall these things for me to warp the civilians out of here…Shambles," he swaps places with the Nomu in mid-air as it swings at him with massive talons.
Suddenly appearing behind it he turns in place and slashes its back, "Incision," he smoothly cleaves through the wings and bisects the Nomu, leaving it to fall to the streets below in two dead pieces.
"Ok, back to work," he shrugs off the minor annoyance, and returns his focus to warping everyone away.
Less than a minute later all the civilians are safely at the edge of the battlefield, and Horizon finally gets to turn his attention to the Nomu below.
BOOM!
The lower section of the leaning skyscraper suddenly explodes a gas line meets the flames.
Horizon now finds himself looking up as the building begins falling directly toward him. 5
"Yeah, of course that would happen…" he says in an annoyed voice.
Then closes his ROOM and flies toward the exact middle of the building.
Putting his sword away he extends both hands forward as if he could catch the building with them.
ROOM!
1km wide with him in the middle, his ROOM forms.
"Takt!" he makes a physical pushing motion with his hands, because he needs absolute focus on this.
Suddenly he's feeling his mind strain to stop the falling momentum of the entire building.
His room shrinks to 900 meters.
Then 800.
Then 600.
Then 300.
And at just barely 250 meters, the building stops falling, almost entirely horizontal to the floor it floats in the air. 1
His Quirk used to command the entire structure and everything within it to simply stop.
Currently, his hands were directly above him -as if he were physically holding it over his head,- almost touching a glass window. Looking up he and his camera sees all the furniture and items within, floating in place as if frozen in time.
Chairs and desks and even pieces of paper and computers, all floating in place instead of falling to the street below to cause more chaos in the fights.
"Ok, that's a first," he does his best not to let his exhaustion be obvious as he speaks. "How far away are you?" Horizon groans at the response he gets in his visor, his backup was minutes away at best, then turns to the city below, seeing almost every fight halted.
Heroes were staring up at him in horror and shock, amazed that he caught a skyscraper and is holding it above them. 2
And around them all the Nomu are staring at him, their damaged minds taking a few moments to process the new orders, an attempt to test him, sent directly from All For One.
'Kill Horizon, the one with the sword and glass mask…'
All the Nomu either begin flying, taking massive super-strength-enhanced leaps, or clawing at nearby buildings to climb them and reach Horizon. A few even begin throwing objects.
"Crap," Horizon uses his hoverboard and flies down, ready to join the battle.
Descending to the streets he faces a bat-winged thin Nomu head on, and points his sword forward.
"Injection shot!" he launches three bullet that destroy everything from the brain to the exit point in the back of the monster.
"Nope, can't do much of that," he says, feeling the strain on his energy nearly shrink his room even more. At this point, it was barely encircling the building and surrounding street.
"They want me to drop the building, let's take 'em down quick!" Horizon yells out to the other heroes as he reaches the street level, snapping them out of their daze and back to their senses. 3
As the fight begins Horizon hops off the hoverboard and puts his boots on the ground.
Partly because he didn't want to give the Nomu any incentive to fly about, that way all the heroes could actually affect them.
But mostly because he didn't want his hoverboard to break since at the moment he can't risk using his more energy-intensive abilities, Shambles, Amputate, and Booster Shot. 3
Horizon slashes through yet another Nomu before leaping backward, dodging a bodyslam from an obese grey Nomu.
"Seriously?" He rushes forward and pierces its head, before cleaving down and cutting it in two, "Incision."
He looks around to see all the random heroes struggling with these weak Nomu and gives an annoyed growl.
"Damn paper heroes…" He launches into a killing spree, slashing apart Nomu as fast as he could, growing more and more annoyed by the lack of support most of these Pro Heroes offered. 1
Eventually, however, Horizon began getting winded.
Slowing down, moving about the battlefield less.
Pausing more between kills.
"What the hell is taking them so long…" he mutters under his breath, seeing a few more Nomu charging at him only to get dogpiled by some nearby Pro Heroes.
"Damn it," Horizon rushes forward as they get knocked back, "if I could just drop this building I'd be fine," he kills one Nomu, splitting it down the middle with his blade, but his sword got stuck halfway through its tough body. 3
Its kinetic absorption Quirk ate away at the energy in his slash, leaving it somewhat stuck in the corpse.
Horizon takes a step back, dodging an extended spearlike tongue from another Nomu. Turning to look at it for a moment he reaches forward and grabs his sword, then hurls it at the new attacker, impaling its brain and killing it.
Pivoting on his heel he spins and lands a strong right fist against the skull of another Nomu, staggering it slightly as its thin and lanky frame is pushed back, Normally he'd use Booster Shot to enhance his strength and do much more damage, but that takes too much energy.
As it stumbles back a large and burly Pro Hero tackles it away from him and drags it to the floor, immediately joined by two other Pros to pin it down.
Taking a few quick steps away Horizon retrieves his sword and sprints over to them, executing the Nomu they'd been holding down.
Then he takes a step back, hearing the constant fighting all around, seeing buildings crumbling each minute, but out of his ROOM, out of his influence, he was stuck in this zone, with the remaining Nomu that were all coming after him.
His exhaustion begins showing as he takes a few breaths, leaving the Pros to stall for a moment.
One of the men approaches him, a look of fear and panic on his face.
'Pathetic,' was Horizon's only thought, someone that's expected to be a Pro Hero showing weakness this easily.
But this was the natural response on a bloody battlefield, filled with destruction and corpses from both sides.
"Do we have a plan?!" The man asks, and Horizon just sighs.
"If they take me out that building falls, then the subway below us collapses, a lot of gas lines go boom and this city starts burning…even more.
They clearly know that so just keep using me as bait, I've already evacuated most of the people from inside buildings, focus on the fight," Horizon says, "just stay close to me, and we'll win."
The man's expression shifts from fear, to one of relief, then confidence, "right…right!"
Horizon nods and walks back into the fight…
After just another two minutes of fighting, with Horizon being one of the few people present who can handle the Nomu with physical Quirks, he's already on his last leg.
To the news drones above he still appeared strong and confident, but the people present could feel it, he was slowing down, even more, they now had to stall the Nomu for much longer before he moved on to the next. 4
BOOM!
A nearby building outside his ROOM explodes into rubble as a handful of corpses, formerly Pro Heroes enter his room and splatter across the floor.
And a second later, Brainless, the USJ Nomu itself appears on the battlefield.
'I really don't have the energy to deal with this thing right now…and this room is too small to play cat and mouse…'
Horizon subtly gives a command to his visor which calls his hoverboard back to him.
Most of the volume of this ROOM was in mid-air, with only the very edge of it being at ground level since it was made at the middle of the building in the air, leaving that as the epicenter.
"Blind him," he orders the nearby Pro Heroes, and they obey like the sheep they are. Immediately throwing any attacks or devices they have at the USJ Nomu, causing it to freeze as its sense of sight was gone.
In these few seconds Horizon hops on his hoverboard and takes to the sky, 'all I have to do is stay in this ROOM so it doesn't close, this building falls and the chain reaction of gas lines and the collapsed subway tunnels below us will cause a lot more damage than these useless fucks dying…' 9
As the smoke and dust clears, the USJ Nomu is still standing there, then it immediately looks up and locks onto Horizon.
The Nomu immediately jumps, cratering the road at its feet and knocking all the nearby Pros and Nomu away by the sheer shockwave caused by the explosive burst of energy.
Seeing it coming Horizon stands confidently on his overboard, arms folded across his chest as it rockets toward him.
And almost at the very last moment…
"FLASHFIRE FIST!–" Endeavor slams into the side of the Nomu like a fiery meteor, the sheer heat from his presence causes Horizon to instinctively fly away from him as he carries it off to the side, out from under the building.
Horizon felt his skin begin to sear and pop, even beneath all the measures to deal with standard environmental heat and cold, standing beside a worked-up Burnin was a mild annoyance. But being within 15 meters of a worked-up Endeavor nearly made his blood begin boiling.
Endeavor takes Nomu just far enough away, then spins and throws him directly up into the air. All the while Nomu never once takes its eyes off Horizon, who was still standing on his hoverboard in the same pose, trying not to give the impression that his skin felt like it was in a microwave.
As Nomu begins falling back down, all the flames around Endeavor that aren't on his feet to keep him airborne gather into this right hand, and he punches directly up at the Nomu.
"–JET BURN!" A pillar of intense orange flames fires out of his fist, completely engulfing the Nomu.
Looking up Endeavor sees Nomu still falling toward him, super-regeneration fighting against the inferno, in only a few seconds it would be clawing at his face.
'This is that monster that attacked UA…built to kill All Might, a perfect counter to Power Types. Too strong for me to physically match, I can't let it get to the floor where it has leverage…but I've got the most firepower of all flame users. I am its ultimate counter…' 1
He grits his teeth and raises his temperature, even more, feeling his arm begin to burn and his skin starts drying out, a hint of fever begins creeping across him as his bodily functions begin to deteriorate as he starts overheating.
"They tried to kill All Might…with something this weak!" The entire attack becomes a bright blue flame for barely a second, completely incineration the Nomu, leaving only charred carbonized husk to fall to the street below. 2
Endeavor turns around to see Horizon hovering a few dozen meters away, then glances down at his Flaming Sidekicks already dealing with the Nomu below, arriving seconds after him since they were much closer when this attack happened.
Compared to them, he was twice as far away, he had to fly all the way from his agency after the police called him.
Hovering over to Horizon he looks up at the floating building, but puts the sense of wonder to the back of his mind and focuses. "Will you be alright to keep this thing up while we deal with them?" 6
"Yeah, I can do this all day…but still, make it quick…" 7
Endeavor immediately cuts off the flames on his feet and drops down, catching himself closer to the ground and joining the fight, which would now be over soon thanks to his involvement.
Horizon sighs in relief, "finally some backup arrives…" 1
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 97: CHAPTER 093(Public Opinion) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Ugh…" Law groans as he rolls over in bed, immediately grabbing his phone and pulling it under the covers to shut off his alarm.
Forcing his eyes open he sits up in bed and looks to his left, seeing the sun rising over the horizon. 2
Stretching his arms out he yawns, still feeling exhausted from the Nomu attack yesterday, "ok, gotta take it easy on the hero crap today…" he mutters while getting out of bed.
Almost an hour later, after a quick shower Law is sitting in his living room with his laptop on the coffee table, eating a meal bar and scrolling through his phone.
In this high-end and modern penthouse located in the middle of Minato Tokyo, almost everything was grey, white, or black, simple with sharp angles, and completely spotless. 1
Sitting on the white coffee table was his laptop, and connected to it was his visor, currently transferring all the footage from the last 24 hours into the laptop.
Beside it was the metal box he'd gotten from Mei a while ago, currently open to reveal a set of visors, 5 in total, and an empty slot for the currently active one. All are folded down to be easily transported.
Across from him was a massive tv built into the wall currently playing the morning news, HNN, the Hero News Network, was covering last night's attack and giving people a rundown of exactly what happened and the death toll.
They were still pulling bodies out of the rubble or declaring people as lost and missing, likely taken back to the league by Kurogiri.
Law takes a sip of water and finishes his meal bar as the video transfer is complete, and immediately begins cutting the video to upload it.
Isolating all the footage from the beginning to the end of each incident is all the editing he does, simply finding where it began and where it ended. Any more cuts than that would cause people to potentially become suspicious of what he's hiding. 7
And people being skeptical or not trusting him would defeat the entire purpose of him making these video uploads.
"Finally," Law uploads the video and just sits back, waiting for all the views and comments to flood in from his 95 million followers.
After defeating stain he'd gotten a small boost, with some people even calling him 'true hero' so much that it began trending online, much to his annoyance.
But he certainly wouldn't stop them from spreading his name and praising it. 1
After a few minutes, as expected, his phone begins ringing. Law just puts it on speaker atop the table and lays down flat on the couch to take a small nap. 1
"Yeah, you saw the video?" he asks without even looking at the caller ID.
"Not exactly what I expected," Nezu's voice responds through the phone.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, the news drones only got close enough to see bits and pieces of the chaos, since Nomu would attack them. But on the screen, it looked as if the building got stuck somehow…the Pro Heroes reported that you caught it.
But, as any reasonable person would, I didn't fully understand what they meant by 'Horizon caught the building…' I didn't know you could do that."
"What do you mean? You know I have Takt."
"Yes, but moving some rocks and moving 215 thousand tons is an entirely different story."
"It's just a bigger rock," Law says casually, then yawns. 6
"Honestly none of you people that can be rank #1 Pro Heroes are normal…are you still tired?"
"Woke up too damn early."
"Understandable after the night you had, so did you need any special circumstances to hold a skyscraper in mid-air?"
"Nope."
"So you really can just, do that, whenever you want, really?"
"Yup."
Nezu sighs, "can you at least see why this makes some people nervous…"
"Villains yeah, figured the general public would be elated to see it. Don't they worship king meathead because of how hard he punches, it's basically the same thing." 4
"Normally yes, but it's very clear to them that you have a mean streak in you, and it seems aimed at other heroes more often than not. Your public approval rating plummeted after your interview, paired with this video proving the reports to be accurate, people are going to be nervous."
Law gets slightly annoyed by that, "seriously? After all the people I saved last night, they're still unhappy? What did I even say in the interview that got them mad?" 1
"You mentioned All Might's retirement," Nezu says bluntly.
"So? Do they really expect him to fight forever? I at least told them 10 years, but we both know he'll be lucky to live 4 more years."
"A single person can understand that, but collectively as a society, people are scared to hear things like that and will react poorly. Many of them have never known a world without him and don't want to imagine that. 1
Your projected approval rating rose up to #11 after the sports festival from #37 because you defeated Stain and posted that video. Plus he called you a 'true hero' so some people take that seriously.
But now it sank from #11 all the way down to #53 because you mentioned All Might retiring. Not to mention a lot of Pro Heroes hate you because you essentially called them useless and demanded the Hero Public Safety Commission fire them." 13
"Because they are useless and should be fired."
Nezu sighs, "if you must know, the few Pro Heroes you mentioned have been constantly harassed online for the past few hours and even had people arrive at their homes last night demanding they retire. Your words have actions." 2
"And so do their bad choices, heroes are basically celebrities and cops rolled into one, they signed up for this."
"Nobody wants to have their life ruined by a few words from an interview," Nezu says.
"If it can be ruined that easy then it wasn't much of a life anyway. Besides, there will be growing pains…assuming you people even want to prepare for a world without All Might.
So the public is a bunch of pussies that can't handle the real world…no surprise there. How'd you even get these stats anyway? I thought only fully licensed Pro Heroes have an approval metric…"
"I made a system to predict at what rank a Pro would debut at for the commission a few decades ago, this way they notice talent early so other countries aren't the first to make offers."
"I guess that makes sense, so I've gotta get to #1 on it and I'll be that much closer to my end goal, seems simple enough."
"Much easier said than done."
"Well of 115 thousand people I'm in the top 100, so what's the top spot compared to that."
"Ahh, speaking of our hero-saturated society, Pantu asked me to come up with a more intense numeric system to give out Provisional Licenses."
"Taking my advice on going for quality instead of quantity?"
"It at least appears that way. Your classmates have only done one week of training thus far, I hope over the next seven they can reach a point where the License Exams won't be impossible."
"How tough is the commission gonna make them?"
"A one percent pass rate."
"That would mean…for the average exam around fifty people pass."
"Extremely difficult," Nezu says.
"Yeah but if you start taking the exams in the first year that gives you six tries, if you can't pass in that many chances then it's time to pack your shit and leave. And that's assuming you don't get held back in the Hero Course so you have even more tries."
"Yes but some people also get in trouble after getting the Provisional License. If you've been found violating any law it can be renounced or suspended, or in extreme cases, you'd simply be expelled and blacklisted.
If it's renounced you'd have to retake the exam to get a new one which would restart the entire 3-year trial period.
But usually, people get into trouble because they begin selling merchandise and marketing themselves as a Pro, which is illegal without a full license. We've almost had a few cases of that in the past here at UA, it's usually treated as a minor mistake and only given a 3-month suspension."
"Yeah, but I work around that particular issue since I'm not marketing myself as a Hero, just as myself. Since 'Horizon' is on my ID and birth certificate it's more like I'm just a regular celebrity that branded myself to be my own product… an easy workaround for me.
And this way I don't have to wait three years before I get to start building my career. I mean the new rookie heroes climbing the ranks are Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods, they're in their mid and late twenties. 1
I'm more popular than them already because I don't have to get a Provisional License, then wait 3 years to be a full Pro Hero, then start marketing myself properly, then make my own agency to get out of someone else's shadow.
I just kinda skipped the big time-wasting parts of the process…"
"And used the Sports Festival as a large fancy advertisement," Nezu says.
"Isn't that what it's for?"
"Yes, but most people can't actually capitalize on that use. It's normal for Pro Heroes to just get a look at potential sidekicks."
"Yeah well, one more thing I'm better at than the current Pros, add it to the pile of reasons they don't like me," Horizon says with a shrug.
"It's not all bad press for you at least," Nezu says.
"What do you mean, people liked what I had to say?"
"People all around the world overall think much more highly of you, it's only Japan that felt slighted because of your views on All Might's longevity. 1
Across the world and especially in more rural areas that are much more conservative with views and traditions many people loved what you had to say. Especially regarding the hero-villain labels put on people for things they cannot control.
Many Quirk acceptance movements are seeing you as their own savior, and people have already been protesting the 'Heroes who look like they should be villains' official listing. 1
I suppose most Pro Heroes are just so busy or self-absorbed that they never really stop to think about the ugly side of society, although at large people try to ignore the discrimination and hate certain Quirks can inspire in others."
"Can't hate people for things they can't control, it should really be common sense, but people are just too dumb for that…" 15
"Very true."
"Hey! I can say that because I'm human, but yeah…" he shares a small laugh with Nezu. 2
They fall into a comfortable silence for a moment as the video he just uploaded begins playing on the news, he glances at his phone to see it's already at a few million views.
And the news anchor begins narrating everything that happens, causing Law to mute the tv.
"Do you think we'll be ready for it?" Nezu asks, his voice quieter and more concerned.
Law sits up, looking at the phone slightly confused, "ready for what?"
"A future without All Might, without our Symbol Of Peace…his presence alone suppresses crime in any country he's in. I can't imagine what will happen when he announces his sudden retirement." 1
Law falls silent for a moment, understanding exactly how important this was for Nezu.
He's spent his entire life, ever since heroes rescued him from that lab, supporting and nurturing Hero Society.
All he'd been working toward was a world at peace, and the closest he's ever come was Toshinori Yagi, All Might, and now that dream was slipping back into impossibility. 1
Law sighs, "don't worry Nezu, we'll be alright, in a few years All Might can retire knowing everything will be taken care of, so long as I am here…" 17
END CHAPTER–
A small reminder that 30 chapters ahead are available on pa.treon: Keanu_Eugene
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Chapter 98: CHAPTER 094(Criminal Adaptation) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Flying above the buildings in Minato Tokyo, Horizon stands on his hoverboard and listens to music within his visor. Nodding along to the beat as he tilts slightly and shifts from flying above buildings to flying above roads.
Reaching the edge of his Room he makes sure to get eyes onto the trailer truck he's been following before closing his current Room and opening a new one, then he drifts back over the buildings and out of the line of sight for the truck. 3
"People rarely look up, but better to be safe than sorry, especially when I can sense them anyway. An entire week following these annoying leads…time for me to cash in," he mutters to himself as he continues following the truck around. 6
A minute later as he's still following the truck, he gets a call from Nezu.
"Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" Horizon asks.
"I was about to get some rest, but I just found this interesting article about you…"
"Well I stopped a runaway car yesterday, but it's been a slow week."
"Not 'you', I meant Law Matani."
"Huh, but I haven't even done anything."
"Then why is there a picture of a certain lady leaving your apartment this morning?"
"The purse designer lady, what about her?"
"It's a bit of a scandal…seeing as she's married to someone slightly famous." 3
"Shit," Horizon sighs. "Didn't know she was married. Is this gonna be annoying?"
"I doubt it, he's just a baseball player, he can't cause someone at your level any problems, and nobody is foolish enough to challenge the Matani Estate–"
"But this puts me in the public eye, and now people will actually know about the Matani Estate, fuck." 3
"Exactly, I assume you already had a plan for this?"
"Yeah, most of the things I buy retain their original names and are controlled by subsidiary asset management companies, which are all owned by my anonymous Swiss Vault account, it's all airtight."
"Good, I just called to give you a bit of a warning, if you keep going like this the quiet life of Law Matani will become very loud very quickly." 5
"I'll be more careful in the future."
"Glad to hear it."
Nezu hangs up and Horizon just grumbles to himself, "of course it'd be my dick that gets me into trouble…I'll just have to lay low until people forget. Some hero will do something and nobody will even remember Law Matani…like take down a big drug operation in the same city." 18
Horizon sees the truck pull into the port at the edge of Minato Tokyo. As it drives between all the stacks of shipping containers Horizon lands on a tall crane that didn't have any lights on it, allowing himself to stay completely hidden. 5
He hops off the hoverboard, leaving it parked and hovering in place as he walks to the edge of the crane.
Crouching down he reaches behind his back.
Contrary to the appearance of his Hero Costume, Horizon actually had a few items strapped to the back of his belt, concealed by his flowing jacket draped across his shoulders.
Mainly were a few beads which expand when crushed into a cast, big enough to incase a limb.
Too weak to act as a capture tool but good for a doctor to have.
A small medical pack, with only a scalpel, morphine, needle and thread, bandages, and alcohol for cleaning wounds.
And the item he pulls out, a small digital scope.
As he takes it out and powers it up the sight is displayed inside his visor, making it so he doesn't have to lift it to his face, simply using it like a camera. 5
Zooming in he sees the driver and passenger, two plain-looking tall men open the back of the truck, and one door to the warehouse opens.
Four more men come out and begin helping them move crates, bland and unmarked, each as big as a backpack, adding them to the rows already neatly packed into the shipping warehouse.
He senses another 12 men scattered about, all carrying rifles, aside from the drivers who had concealed pistols.
'Time to get some probable cause,' he thinks, zooming in on the crate itself.
TAKT!
He focuses his energy on the crate and causes it to slip out of the man's hand, falling on its side and causing the top to pop open, exposing the pale green liquid, packed in small glass vials.
'Gotcha,' Horizon then zooms in on each of them men, inputting their faces for his facial recognition system to sort through.
Yet another upgrade which was suggested by Mei. It's not as instant as what'd you'd find inside a police station, but it can eventually get the job done.
Using his Hero Network access from his phone to gain access to the criminal database.
"Shambles," he warps into the back of the dim warehouse. Still feeling all the men at the front loading boxes he carefully and quietly opens the top of one crate, getting an up-close look.
Rows upon rows of neatly and securely packed vials of drugs.
"Trigger," Horizon mutters to himself, mostly for his camera and mic to pick up his narration.
"Imported from Eastern Europe and sent to Japan. The latest highly addictive Quirk enhancement drug. And since this warehouse is on the dock and a truck just came from inland to add to this cache, I'm betting all of this is shipping to south America.
Otherwise, they would have just gone from Eastern Europe and used the New York port.
A lot of people are gonna die if villains get a supply this big…18 men, all armed. 16 with assault rifles, and two with pistols."
Horizon takes out his phone and does a few simple searches, using his authority via the Hero Network to get the information he needed.
"The dock opens in two hours and the ship beside this warehouse is scheduled to depart in three…I need to deal with this now."
The sound of metal clanging as the warehouse doors close echoes about, and the few lights inside the warehouse go out.
"Huh, complete darkness, that's useful. A bright white three-piece suit really isn't good for stealth anyway," he chuckles lightly
Horizon send a quick alert to the police, receiving confirmation that they'd be arriving after gathering some backup.
Horizon sees his facial recognition system finally get one hit, the driver was the only one with a criminal record.
"Aggravated Assault, Quirk: Contortionist…his entire body is double jointed…well that's something."
Focusing on the man Horizon waits a few minutes until he strays away from the others, then.
"Shambles," Horizon swaps the man with a card and immediately grabs his throat with one hand and his arms with the other, choking out the man as he struggles beneath Horizon's greatly improved physical strength.
"Shambles," Horizon recalls the card to him before anyone stumbles upon it, as the man finally goes unconscious.
"It's Horizon! He warped someone!" Horizon hears from the man's radio.
But he doesn't sense that anyone even noticed this man was gone, and they were all scrambling to get to each other at the front of the warehouse.
"How the hell…" Horizon throws the unconscious man over his shoulder and warps back to the top of the crane, then recalls the card he swapped with to get up there.
He notices the remaining 17 men all taking up a strange formation, obviously trying to keep eyes on each other.
'How the hell did they even know I was here…' he wonders, watching them all gather.
Using the scope he can see a few of them visibly shaking at the idea of being hunted by him.
'Street thugs paid to do the boring job of guarding a warehouse nobody was supposed to know about, and now they have to fight a god…yeah, I'd be shaking too.'
"You there man? Where are you?" Horizon hears through the unconscious man's radio, shrugs, and picks it up.
He keeps an eye on the men while speaking, "so, how did you know I was here?"
He sees all the men stiffen, looking at each other nervously as they realize how real this situation was.
"We aren't talking to you!" The presumed leader yells into the radio.
"You just did, but hey if you tell me I'll take it easy on you, or you could surrender now and save us all the hassle…"
"Why don't you come down here so I can put a bullet in yo ARGH!–" the man drops to the floor as two hits of Injection Shot tear through his thighs, muscle and bone obliterated with ease.
All the other men begin frantically looking around, wanting to help their ally but forced to leave him reeling in pain as they try to cover each other.
"So, anyone else?"
"Ok, I'll talk!" One of the men drops their gun, completely terrified, and raises his hands to the sky in surrender.
"Perfect, so, start talking," Horizon says through the radio.
One of the other guards doesn't like this and raises his weapon at the traitor, "you fucking rat ba AHHH!"
Injection Shot tears through his arms and legs in rapid succession.
"Oh god," the other men drop their weapons and raise their hands to the sky. "Please don't hurt us!"
"Start talking, how'd you know I was here?"
"It's the watch," the first man who surrendered says. "They're new, a lot of people are selling things that they say can help defend against you, most of em are trash scams but our watches alert everyone connected if we skip distance!" 1
"Hmm, let's test it, Shambles," Horizon swaps one of the men for a gun they threw a few meters away.
The watch at his feet and on all their hands start beeping immediately.
"Ugh, this shit is gonna be annoying, but I can adapt too," he says to himself, then opens the radio connection. "Anyway, just stay like that until the cops come, if any of you move, you'll join your friends on the floor, I'm watching you…"
Horizon calls the police to alert them of the new situation, and not even 20 minutes later a horde of squad cars and armored trucks arrive to cart off these men to prison.
Individuals who don't pose a threat to society on a large scale are reserved for Tartarus, these small-time criminals would simply go to a regular prison, or plead ignorant of what they were guarding and only get an illegal firearm possession charge. 1
The maximum charge for that alone, 15 years. Since they didn't use their Quirks that will help their case a significant amount.
Now they just had to get their story straight and pretend they didn't know what they were protecting or moving.
'Assuming they're smart enough to do that,' Horizon thinks as he sees the truck with the men driving away.
Now only the lieutenant in charge of this case and the evidence squads were on the scene with him.
"You know you really should have waited for backup," the leading officer says, looking up at Horizon.
"Sorry I didn't want to risk them changing the situation further, but luckily I got them all to surrender peacefully."
"Not surprising, it's you," the officer says. "Any advice for the doctors on how to deal with…whatever you did to those guys?"
"Treat it like they got shot with regular bullets that tore right through them, do you have any info on this?" Horizon says while handing the cop the watch.
"Hmm," the man looks at it for a few seconds then recognizes it. "Yeah, big-time criminal organizations have been showing up with these, but only for the top lieutenants, or I guess in this case when they're guarding twenty million in drugs."
"Apparently it's for warping."
The man gives Horizon a confused look, "what? these let them warp?"
"No, it's to alert the connected watches that someone warped you. Best guess, it uses precise real-time GPS, if you suddenly skip over a few meters it alerts everyone." 2
"Hmm," the man taps his chin a few times. "One of those Anti-Horizon devices we've seen selling for a fortune on the black market…"
"There are more, what are they?"
"Well, a Horizon-repellant tear gas?" 5
"Annoying…but I mean who doesn't that crap annoy?" 1
"True. Big rubber pads that absorb your slashes?"
"That's stupid."
"A special ring that makes it difficult for you to sense and warp people?"
"That…people are actually stupid enough to buy that?"
"We've caught about 200 people across the country with it on," the cop gives a disappointed sigh.
"Idiots, even if any of this crap did work, wouldn't stop me from warping toward you instead…"
"Oh yeah, good point. But yeah the last main one is the most expensive, Welding."
"Welding?" Horizon asks.
"Yeah, the League of Villains is spreading misinformation that you can't warp things that are molecularly bonded to other things, like if two things are welded together you can't just move one piece." 2
"Ok, so they have welders?"
"The Weld Quirk, they've apparently got like a dozen small Nomu that people can rent to weld their products down so you can't warp it away, it's stupid but people actually believe it since the League Of Villains has a pretty good reputation right now."
'Hmm, Awase from 1B has that quirk, and whoever in Tartarus used it to weld my parents to the prison so I can't warp them out. Shigaraki has a brain after all, not that it takes much to figure something like this out, but still annoying…' 3
"Yeah that's ridiculous," Horizon says, playing off the idea as another failure. "Anyway since we're just about done here I should get back to patrol. I just didn't want these drugs in my part of Tokyo…"
"Yeah, thanks for stopping these guys. Um, can I maybe get a picture with you?" the cop asks nervously. "My kids would love it." 2
"Sure thing, I'm always happy to help the cops any way I can. Heroes can throw punches but beyond that, we can't do much, so honestly, just between us, I think you guys are the real heroes…" 23
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 99: CHAPTER 095(Roadside Assist)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
–6 Am…
Driving on the highway between Musutafu where UA is and Tokyo, Law is sitting comfortably in the front seat of his new Rolls Royce Suv, bought yesterday simply out of necessity.
There was hardly any traffic, at least not on his side. The morning rush was always heading into Tokyo, fortunately, he was driving the other way, toward Musutafu.
Taking a bite of his morning meal bar his head nods along to the soft music in his car, clearing his mind and trying to relax a bit after the past three weeks of none stop heroics. 5
In the trunk was a large black and yellow duffel bag. Within this was his case containing his Hero Costume, his box of new visors, his sword, and his hoverboard.
Suddenly Law's music cuts off as his car receives a call through his phone.
"Answer," he commands, and the call connects.
"How long until you get here?" Nezu asks through the phone.
"Maybe ten minutes, I'm almost in Musutafu already."
"Are you driving?" Nezu asks, sounding confused.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"You have a hoverboard as fast as any commercial plane, just fly between cities."
"Yeah but I just bought this car and I'd like to have some fun with it, that's all."
"Ahh, sometimes I forget you're still a child, and children like toys."
Law rolls his eyes, "if that's what you want to call my cars and jets and guns, sure." 1
"What guns?" Nezu sounded concerned, "Law Matani doesn't have a firearms license."
"Relax, I keep em at home, I have a holographic range in my yard."
"You keep illegal firearms in your home, you do realize how serious of an offense that is, right?"
"How would anyone ever know?"
"What if they hear you using them?"
"I own everything for a kilometer around my house and there isn't any other property or even a usable beach in that mountainside…"
"What if someone hears you anyway?"
"Ok…and what cop is ever going to execute a warrant to raid the Matani Estate, I didn't donate 200 million to their pension and relief fund just because I like cops, they fuck with me and that money stops flowing. 5
Plus, it also lets me actually use my cars and not have to worry about speeding tickets, Matani vehicles are untouchable." 6
"That is such a gross misuse of the system," Nezu scoffs. 2
"Says the dealmaker himself…" 1
Nezu sighs, "ok, that's fair. So, what car did you buy this time? That bike you were looking at?"
"Rolls Royce SUV, I like nice and comfortable things."
"You bought that for personal use? I thought you only chartered the armor ones for public appearances."
"Yeah well, normally I stick with the 'family car', it was already a tight fight when I got it. But now I'm 195cm -6ft4-and 265lbs -120kg-, it's a bit uncomfortable. 4
Plus those things have like no trunk space, and my sword is like a whole other person. It's like having Asui laying down stiff in my trunk…" 7
"Odd choice of measurement, but ok, I see your point, but I can't relate since I'm tiny and adorable." 6
"According to you."
"Yes, according to the smartest person on the planet," Nezu says, and Law rolls his eyes. 2
"That still hasn't once beat me in chess." 2
"That's a low blow, you know that's unfair." 1
"Whatever, anything else?"
"I saw your big drug bust in the news, very impressive, although the video you posted showing how you dealt with the warehouse situation was very…"
"What?"
"Let's just say, some of your assassination training was showing, it didn't look very heroic."
"It was effective, there wasn't even a fight because of it."
"Yes, but part of being a hero is inspiring people." 1
"Ok, and I'm inspiring them to do clean and efficient work, but why are we even talking about this? Any updates on finding your spy?" 1
Nezu groans, "I tore through our internal systems from top to bottom, the leak wasn't digital."
"So it's a person."
"A potentially unwilling or oblivious person, for all we know they could even be having their mind read whenever they leave campus."
"Or they're a filthy traitor and need to be put down," Law growls out. 7
"Let's not jump to conclusions, we need to be very careful of how we deal with this. I can't even have anyone aside from All Might keeping an eye on how people are acting, if anyone knows we suspect a spy that could cause chaos or they'd simply hide their tracks better."
"Just have me and Tsukauchi Polgraph everyone, it'll just take an hour to hit the whole school."
"Oh…you're so willing to reveal that aspect of your Quirk now, you've kept that and Scan hidden so well until now."
"I just really hate traitors."
"Well, I'd prefer to find the spy without them knowing–"
"To use them as bait and take down Shigaraki, smart, but what if something happens?"
"That's why we have you here, and we've taken extra precautions to insulate the Summer Training Camp, the location isn't even within our systems. And aside from you and the Pro Heroes nobody has any technology."
"Unless they smuggled one," Law says. "Or made one, or has a Quirk that can send messages…"
"You really suspect Yaoyorozu? Even with how fond of you she clearly is?"
"I don't suspect anyone particularly, not until we have more information, but it's almost definitely a student."
"Mhm, I came to the same conclusion, but none of their records show anything to indicate a connection to villains. Everyone at UA is a prodigy in what they do, and the background checks showed no criminal history from any of them or their parents." 3
"That you know of," Law says. "But I've got dirt on someone, not that it proves anything here."
"Anything I should know about?"
"I don't discuss former contracts."
The line goes silent for a few seconds, and Nezu immediately puts it together.
"Oh…she did contracts for the Yaoyorozus?" Nezu asks.
"I can't confirm anything, but how'd you get that idea."
"None of your other classmates could afford her, but the only high-profile death that benefits Momo's parents was…her grandfather? Oh my god." 1
"Well I wouldn't know anything about that," Law lies, "But sometimes old people need a little nudge to give you your inheritance."
"From the way she speaks she has no idea," Nezu says sadly.
"Don't know what you're talking about… just focus on the spy problem, one mystery at a time."
"Of course, and what abo–"
BOOM!
Law's car literally jumps a few inches off the ground and slams back down, along with every other car on either side of the highway.
Everyone slams the breaks and grinds to a halt.
–What's going on?!" Nezu's voice was suddenly worried.
Law sighs, looking out his window to see Mt. Lady in her 20m -67ft-form, white and purple one-piece suit and mask on with one broken horn accessory remaining on her head.
She was currently fighting two Gigantified villains, each a head shorter than her, appearing to be twins of some sort, one red and one blue. Both are lanky giants at 17m -55ft-.
As they fight at the side of the road, tearing up the trees and dirt, Kamui woods swings into the fight and lands on the shoulder of his secret girlfriend -ever since the Sports Festival-, extending his hands out. 4
"Lacquered Chain Prison!" Both his arms extend and grow into a large network of tough branches.
"Nothing to worry about," Law tells Nezu as he watches the fight.
Looking forward he sees people actually getting out of their cars with their phones out to record the fight, 'great…and now I can't go anywhere, fucking morons.' 3
Law looks back at the fight just in time to see the red villain drop down into a low stance, avoiding Kamui's binding attack to kick Mt. Lady in the shin, causing her to tilt forward in pain.
His presumed brother slips to the left and lands a solid left hook to the side of her head, rattling her brain, but impressively she only stumbles off to the side, clearly dazed.
Kamui leaps off her shoulder and toward one of the villains, only to be snatched out of the air, the gigantified villain wraps both arms around him to suffocate him.
"Great forest growth!" Kamui yells out, and suddenly a slew of branches begins growing and breaking through the gaps between the giant's fingers. Connecting at the other side and locking his hands together. 7
But Kamui also immobilized himself since he can't detach from his wooden creations, they are his arms after all.
"Mt. Lady!" Kamui screams out, snapping her out of her daze just in time to dodge a shoulder charge from the other villain.
Stepping to the side she lowers her head and charges at him, before leaping up and slamming into his side with a devastating dropkick.
The crack of his ribs echoes for a hundred meters causing all the onlookers to wince in pain.
All while the other villain was constantly slamming his restrained hands into the forest floor, failing to break apart the wooden cuffs.
Looking up from Kamui Woods stuck to his hands and over to his brother, he sees Mt. Lady slam her shoulder into his gut after a devastating charge and pick him up, then slam him into the ground.
BOOM!
All the cars jump an inch off the road and the quakes ripple out.
Mt. Lady and the villain are suddenly in a wrestling match, trying to restrain each other, but exactly as Horizon warned Sato…wrestling doesn't work in a street fight.
The villain restrained by Kamui Woods breaks into a full sprint and leaps high into the air, aiming both his feet down at Mt. Lady's head.
"Mt. Lady!" Kamui yells out, still attached to the villain.
She looks up just in time to see both feet only twenty meters above her face as the other villain tries to hold her still.
"CURTAIN!" 1
A blue dome forms just in front of her face, covering her entirely and catching the full weight of the dropkick without even cracking.
Horizon had appeared on the scene, swapped for a piece of rubble in her hair, now standing atop her long blonde hair.
One hand outstretches toward the sky and projecting this large Curtain from his palm.
Seeing him the villain immediately leaps off the shield, turning around in mid-air and landing, breaking into a full sprint in the opposite direction, heading toward Mustutafu only one mile away, back where this chase began. 5
"Seriously?" Horizon asks nobody in particular as his Curtain drops, then simply summons his sword to his hands and slashes outward.
"Amputate!" the gigantified man's legs detach from the knees downward and his face smashes into the forest floor.
He groans in pain the quickly comes to the horrific realization that his legs were missing.
As one giant is panicking Horizon hops down to Mt. Lady's shoulder and gets closer to the other.
The man was still pinned by the woman and completely frozen in fear, now face to face with Japan's Mystery Class Monster.
"So…you gonna surrender or do I need to cut you up too?"
The man immediately shrinks down to his regular size, sheepishly nodding the entire time.
As the other giant is panicking over his severed legs Mt. Lady just gives Horizon a cute pout. "We had that under control you know, you didn't have to come in at the last moment like that to take the credit…" 1
"If I thought you had it handled I wouldn't have gotten involved," Horizon hops off her shoulder and summons his hoverboard under her feet, staying at level with her face. 1
He gives the people on the highway a polite wave as the remaining villain shrinks down and surrenders to Kamui.
"Thank you for the help Horizon," Kamui says as he approaches them and hops up onto her other shoulder, both the villains quickly restrained at regular sized by his wooden limbs. "Your assistance was greatly appreciated."
"No problem, but hey, I'm kinda late for something, so you don't mind handling the paperwork on this, right? I'll send a report later…"
"What?" Kamui asks, "but this was technically a Team-Up, we need to have a combined re–"
"Great. Thanks. See ya!" Horizon warps away, swapping for one of his cards before that too disappears. 2
He arrives back into his car without anybody noticing, too busy taking pictures of the Pro Heroes.
"He was a lot nicer last time we met him," Mt. Lady mutters as she shrinks back down. "Now he's sticking us with most of the paperwork…"
"We should be thankful he was here, that kick would have been very bad if it did connect," Kamui gestures to the two unconscious villains in his grasp. "Now let's hand these two over to the police, how about we get some Dango then head home?" 1
"That sounds great!" Her mood suddenly becomes happy at the mention of food, especially when she's not paying. "Let go!" she begins marching away.
And Kamui can't help but appreciate the little victorious strut she does, taking in her assets for a moment before catching up to her. 4
'We've been heroes for years and the public is only now recognizing us, but people like Horizon show up and suddenly we're nobody again' he thinks to himself, rather sadly, realizing his ambition of being in the top 5 is unlikely to happen. 7
Looking over to Mt. Lady happily walking beside him he can't help but admire her, even with her torn-up suit, bloody and bruised face, and all the dirt and debris in her hair.
Absolutely beautiful. 3
"Maybe this is enough…" he mutters absentmindedly. 12
She immediately turns to him, "enough what?"
"Huh…I mean, enough hero work for today," he says quickly. "So, what flavor are you trying tonight…" 6
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 100: CHAPTER 096(Camp Gameplan) 5
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Sitting in Nezu's office Horizon was reading through a few documents. Scrolling through Nezu's tablet a bit more he looks up at Nezu who was typing away at the computer before putting it down.
He was currently wearing a casual outfit, a blue t-shirt, and track pants with some black running shoes. His bag for camp and sword were on the couch opposite him as they both wait for Eraser Head. 7
His Hero Costume and extra visors were safely packed inside it, along with the hoverboard.
"Ok, what you guys came up with isn't bad, not optimal but not bad," Horizon says.
Nezu doesn't bother to stop his work, "well those training programs are only for the first month. The outdoor area will allow them to let loose without bothering each other, as well as get some proper survival and rescue training. If we did the latter on UA it wouldn't give the same sense of danger, they need that for proper practice."
"So there is a second part?" Horizon asks.
"The first week in August the students can spend at home, then they'll have all-day classes at UA to train Super Moves and the technical aspects of their Quirks. Not to mention all the costume upgrades we expect them to make."
"I see. So training in the woods for a month to gain muscle, and training at UA so they know how to punch better…pretty simple."
"Mhm, and what do you really think of the training programs we have them on, mister Quirk specialist."
Horizon rolls his eyes, "fine. They're mostly fine, Shoji should be trying to push the limits of what he can make and how many rather than just trying to use them better. That way his brain will adapt to process more input. 2
And Jiro needs to learn to control her breathing, that way she'll better understand the uses of a fast and slow heart rate, since her Quirk amplifies her heartbeat to attack, the others can figure out the rest themselves."
"I'll message Eraser with these changed," Nezu sends a quick message and then resumes his paperwork. 1
"Mhm."
"Do you plan to do any personal training?"
"Some, having all the space at UA is nice but I couldn't put a move I've been thinking about into practice here…if it goes bad I'd rather not be so close to a populated place. An empty forest should be perfect." 11
Nezu stops working and looks up with wide eyes, "Do I need to be worried?"
"Mmm, nah." 7
Nezu resumes his work.
A moment later Horizon stands up, "Eraser is here, guess that's my ride. I'll see you in a week."
A moment later Horizon is sitting in a simple black car, on the more modest and practical side of things, with Eraser Head.
He was in the front seat with his bag in the trunk, the entire back seat filled with boxes of supplies Eraser had packed to take back to the camp, and Horizon's sword diagonally across the back since it couldn't fit in the trunk.
Sitting in the front seat while Eraser was driving Horizon tried and failed to get comfortable with the lack of leg room in the car, being forced to just deal with it for the one-hour drive.
"Honestly I'm surprised Nezu doesn't have a set of cars for UA to use on the roads," Horizon says as they begin driving toward the deserted mountain roads, leading out of Musutafu.
"Well the point of UA is that nobody ever has to leave the campus," Eraser says.
"Yet we're having a training camp in the mountains…"
"Because it's the best way to cram a semester or two of practical hero training into a month. Some of your classmates aren't ready to go up against 2nd or 3rd year Hero Course students in the exams, so this training is for them more than anyone else."
"How has that been going?"
"Surprisingly well, they're all very motivated to train, partly because of Iida, and partly because they don't like the way you talk to them." 4
"Act like a bitch and I'll treat you like one, it's that simple," Horizon shrugs. 6
Eraser sighs, "that is exactly what I was referring to."
"Whatever, they'll get over it. Nezu mentioned you had outside help at the camp, anyone good?"
"The Wild Wild Pussycats," Eraser says in an even more annoyed tone, somehow. 2
"I should have guessed that. All went to UA, in the same class. Specialize in mountain rescue, and they're in the top 50 Pro Hero ranking so they aren't useless."
"Yeah, and only one of them is annoying," Eraser grumbles.
"What do you mean? I'm guessing it's Ragdoll, right?" 2
"Nope, she's actually fine, it's Pixie-Bob." 1
"The sexy blonde? Really?"
"She's always nagging me about when you're gonna show up…she's a fangirl."
"Oh, that could be fun." 1
Eraser glances over at him then focus back on the mountain road they were already on, "normally I don't have to tell people not to do this, but in this case, 'don't go trying to seduce a teacher', got it?" 5
"What a wild and insane assumption, how unexpected. I'm just curious about why she could possibly think so highly of me," he says in a playful tone, betraying his words entirely.
"Right, because you suddenly care about that. Just don't do it."
"It's not illegal, I'm already 16."
"It may not be illegal, but it's unethical," Eraser says.
"Well Heroes follow laws, not ethics," Horizon argues. "If we cared about ethics we wouldn't be arresting Vigilantes every day." 5
Eraser looks pissed off for a moment, then fades back to the mask of indifference. "We stop them because most of them end up dead since they're untrained." 6
"By choice, since it's their choice to join the fight. Because they're following their personal ethics, and so well I…within the law ofcourse." 2
"I can't believe you spun something so horrific and made it work for you."
Horizon chuckles and takes out his phone, "that's half of branding and maintaining a public image, which I'm pretty good at. But it does help that I've been flawless in the public eye anyway."
"Yeah, and for some reason the way you talk about certain things doesn't turn people away fro–" Eraser's eyes go wide as he sees Horizon scrolling through his phone, a common sight since the teen was usually bored during classes.
"What?" Horizon asks, seeing the reaction.
"Why do you have your phone? You were supposed to leave it at UA."
"Nezu let me keep it, it runs on the same insulated server as his personal phone, villains can't hack it."
Eraser visibly calms down at that, "really?"
"Yup, I mean he did design it and build all the software in it, it's unhackable. Besides, aside from All Might and probably Recovery Girl, I'm one of the very few people he knows isn't a spy."
"Really, how is he so sure?"
Horizon sighs, "do you honestly think I would need any help to kill All Might, I'm probably his worst possible matchup. Quirks like that just can't beat me in a deathmatch." 2
Eraser thinks about it for a second, then nods in agreement. "That does make sense, anyone else?"
"Let's find out," Horizon casually reaches over and puts a hand on Eraser's shoulder. "Are you in any way helping or contacting the villains?"
"No."
"Guess you're clean too…"
"What? That's it, you trust me just like that?"
"No, I trust me to see through any lie you try and tell, I'm a pretty good judge of character like that." 4
"You really are insane," Eraser says, dismissing it as nothing serious.
In truth exactly as Nezu said, Horizon was keeping Scan and Polygraph as hidden as possible, and moments ago he did use them on Eraser, finding the man to be completely clean.
Now he had one more person that he knew was clean, at least in the case that they weren't willingly aiding the villains.
'Now I just need to find the leak and put a few holes in them, get the answers I need to track down some big villains solo, then I'll hand what's left over to Nezu and his people…'
After a few minutes, Eraser glances over to see what Horizon was doing on his phone, noticing him scrolling through the Wild Wild Pussycats 'Yay!' page. 1
"What are you doing?"
"Research," Horizon says, as if it were obvious.
"What kind of research?"
"The Pixie-Bob kind…what kind of Pro doesn't have a solo page? Everything they do is as a team, it's creepy, as if they're attached at the hip." 1
"Some people can only be themselves in a team they trust, and working alone can be dangerous," Eraser says. 4
Horizon sighs, "there isn't anything useful here, guess I'll have to just wing it…"
Eraser smiles, "then I at least have nothing to worry about, you're horrible with female Pro Heroes."
"What? No I'm not, I'm great with women."
"Yet Midnight can't stand your guts for whatever reason, Mirko wants to cave your skull in because you kept calling her an idiot, and from that news clip I saw, Mt. Lady is at least annoyed at you for stealing the spotlight this morning." 3
"Ok, I guess that's fair. But I've just never really tried with one of them."
"If you say so, just try to keep it in your pants during school hours and especially on campus, and for the record, I think you've got enough girl problems. Most of your female classmates either just tolerate you, openly dislike you…or are Momo, and whatever the hell has been going on with Jiro. 6
You've got the branding thing done properly. The best way to destroy that pristine reputation and image is to get women involved. They're just drama and distractions waiting to happen. You've got bigger things to focus on, like your Pro Hero career." 5
"Oh yeah, is that what you tell yourself to cope?" 10
"Hey! I'm trying to give good advice here."
"Advice I already know, but I spend almost all my time either training or doing Pro Hero work, I like to have fun every once in a while…"
Eraser gives an annoyed groan, "the fact that you're even thinking about this is disgusting, but I trust Pixie-Bob to conduct herself like a proper hero." 2
"Don't know why you're acting surprised," Horizon shrugs. "Honestly sometimes I feel like you people forget that under this visor I'm only 16…fancy shiny toys and beautiful women are still on my mind, a lot." 2
Eraser actually looks over at Horizon for a moment then sighs, and facepalms.
"I'm so used to speaking to you and treating you like another Pro Hero or teacher that I honestly forgot…I shouldn't have even been discussing things like this with you in the first place."
"Don't be too hard on yourself, it's not your fault I'm closer to being a pro than a student, I just hope she sees things the same way…" 2
Horizon nods, pleased with himself as he keep scrolling.
'Train those two losers, work on my new move, fuck a hot blonde…this is normal summer camp stuff, right?' 21
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 101: CHAPTER 097(Family Plans)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"Wow everyone is already training, pretty good," Horizon says as their car arrives at the main building.
A small two-story spa building surrounded by a massive forest walled off on all sides by mountains.
"You can sense them?" Eraser asks as he shuts off the car.
They both get out and Horizon takes a moment to stretch his limbs, finally free from the cramped seat.
"Mmm, yeah. Everyone is training in a rocky field a few hundred meters that way," he points in the direction of the training area. "Some are in the forest with some big dude…guessing that's Tiger, doing muscle training. And Momo and Sato are…eating cake?"
"Fuel for their Quirks," Eraser says as Horizon retrieves his bag and sword. "Can you warp these into the training area for me?" he gestures to the boxes on the back seat.
"Yeah, Shambles," Horizon snaps his fingers and they disappear, swapped with a lone leaf.
"Well that really is convenient, anyway I'll get back to your classmates, I'm sure Pixi–"
"HORIZON!" Pixie-Bob steps out of the main building with a broad smile on her face. 3
Wearing the Wild Wild Pussycats uniform, a miniskirt, boots with metal soles, and a crop top designers like a frilly vest. A spin on the 'french maid' outfit people enjoy. Her signature color is blue to make her stand out from her allies. 1
All wrapped around a 166cm -5ft5-fit and toned stacked blonde with long hair. Wearing a long blue and white striped tail and oversized cat paws in the same colors to match her outfit. 6
And a large metal headgear shaped similar to cat ears with a transparent glass visor across her eyes.
Seeing her marching toward them Eraser wisely decides to leave and go find Mandalay, "she'll show you around…" he says to Horizon, not in the mood to deal with this blonde ball of energy.
As she gets up to Horizon, seeing him standing there with his bag in one hand and sword in the other, suddenly Pixie-Bob is staring up at him. Almost a foot taller than her with a physique like All Might.
"Wow, you're a lot bigger than I expected, you look smaller on TV…"
"Well hello to you too, and that's probably because you've seen me standing beside All Might…he isn't normal."
"Ohh, that makes sense! Follow me I'll show you to your room," she gestures to the main building.
"Lead the way." As he's walking beside her Horizon can't help but notice a small child in the training area with one of the Pros, but doesn't think much of it. "So Eraser says you're a fan, what caused that?"
"Tch, I told them not to mention that," she leads them into the reception area of the spa and begins walking toward the stairs. "It's not like I'm a fangirl or anything. It's just that my life would be a lot easier if more capable men who thought like you existed."
Horizon chuckles at that idea, "another me…don't think the world can handle that. But what do you mean exactly?"
They begin going up the stairs.
"It's just that when we were all watching the UA Sports Festival, the things you said, the conviction in your voice, it was incredible," she takes a deep breath before continuing.
"I've been trying to find a nice guy to have a family with for the past year, but all the strong capable guys just want younger girls and don't want anything serious…and I'm running out of time. Hearing you talk about how you'd fight and fight no matter what for the family you'll have one day. It just gave me real hope, it was everything I needed to hear."
Horizon looks over to her as they reach the second floor, seeing her smiling happily at him, with teary eyes and all.
"I'm sure the right guy will come along, you're young and hot, he won't be able to resist."
Pixie-Bob wipes her eyes as they begin walking down the hallway passing a few rooms." thanks, it's just nice to know I'm not the only hero that wants this future for themself.
It feels like everyone around me just wants to work until they die and keep focusing on Hero Rankings, then that makes me feel like I'm some kind of a fake hero that's being selfish for wanting to have a family and quit." 1
"That's the same plan I have," Horizon says, catching her off guard.
"What?"
"I don't plan to go full throttle on being a hero forever. When I have a family of my own I'll focus more on the Miracle Doctor side of Horizon again. I'll leave the fighting villains for people that rather save strangers than go home to their families.
It may not be what people think is heroic, and maybe it is selfish, but I just don't care. My people always come first, nobody else matters." They stop in front of the last door and Horizon sees her staring up at him. "Don't ever feel guilty for putting the people you love first, and wanting to be in their lives to take care of them and watch them grow, I think that's the most beautiful thing a person can do in this life, and its the least you deserve for all you've done…" 16
Looking into her bright blue eyes Horizon sees her pupils dilate as her brain short circuits, staring up at him with pleading eyes, 'wow…strong reaction and I haven't even started trying yet…'
"I wish I thought as far ahead as you," Pixie-Bob admits quietly.
"You've still got time, just trust the process." 2
She gives him a toothy smile and nods happily. "Alright, we can chat after you get all settled in," she slides open the door to reveal a simple but comfortable room, with a connected bathroom and shower.
"Wow," he says as they both enter.
"Yeah, we all bought the land in this valley and set up this resort a few years ago. Usually, we're never here so we rent out the place year-round. The Hot Springs are pretty popular actually."
"Smart move."
"Yup, you got one of the rooms, the Pros are in the other rooms but the other students are down on the first floor. Nezu said your special circumstances need privacy so this is your place for the week.
The boys from each class are in one of the big open rooms downstairs. All the girls got put into one big room since its not many of them. But you're up here."
Setting down his bags and sword Horizon turns to Pixie-Bob who was standing at the window in the room looking out at the forest, "so, what other fun things are there for us to do this week?" 10
–10 Minutes Later… 4
Walking up the stairs toward Horizon's room, Mandalay, the leader of the Wild Wild Pussycats.
A woman built much like Pixie-Bob, only a hair thinner and slightly less curvy, with dark red hair and a light red version of their team's uniform. 3
As she arrives at the second floor she keeps her casual pace toward Horizon's room, until she stops dead in her tracks.
Her ears just barely pick up Pixie-Bob's giddy voice, hearing her speaking between giggles.
"Wow, it's so big–" Mandalay blinks a few times, not sure of what she just heard, she takes up a more brisk pace. 1
"Are you sure–ok let me, just…like this?" she hears Pixie-Bob's voice even clearer now.
"Yeah, just like that," Horizon says. "Don't let the size bother you it's just like any other one…" 1
Mandalay breaks into a full power walk and arrives at the closed sliding door.
BAM!
The slams the door to the side, looking at them with pissed-off and manic eyes, gritting her teeth.
"WHAT THE HELL IS–" she freezes, seeing Pixie-Bob waving around Horizon's sword with a wide smile on her face. 17
Looking between Pixie-Bob's confused expression, Horizon sitting on the bed casually instructing her, and the 145cm -4ft9-white Katana with a blue edge…it all came together.
And Mandalay decides to pretend she didn't just barge in here expecting something else.
"I mean, what's been taking you two so long?" Mandalay asks.
"Oh, Horizon was showing me how to use a Katana, but this one is really heavy."
Horizon shrugs and gets up, "the alternative was a collapsable one, but that's less durable, I rather have this. Also, I asked Pixie-Bob to show me her Quirk."
"Yeah look," Pixie-Bob gestures to the dresser, where a small dirt statue of Horizon, just three inches tall was standing. "I made him this with Earth Flow."
Mandalay just sighs and rolls her eyes, "you'll have time to chat later, right now you've got students to deal with. They need more earth walls to practice on, let's go…"
"Want me to warp us there?" Horizon asks as they all file out of the room.
"Actually I wanted to ask you a favor," Mandalay says, and Pixie-Bob immediately falls back a bit so they were both walking in front of her, something Horizon didn't fail to notice.
"Ok, what do you need?"
"It's about my nephew, Koda." 1
"So that's the kid with…" Horizon pauses and opens a room, finding his target. "With Ragdoll."
"Wow Eraser really wasn't kidding," Mandalay says. "That's both impressive and really creepy, and it works on people you've never seen before, it's like a better version of Ragdoll's Quirk."
"I'm the better version of a lot of Quirks, so what do you need?"
"Koda's parents, my cousin and his wife, they were a hero team, Water Hose. They died recently and well, he hasn't been the same ever since."
"How'd they die?"
"There was a villain that wanted to go on a rampage, and they died protecting the civilians, but he got away…"
"Ok, so what the kid needs me a sign a shirt or something? Hoverboard ride?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that," Mandalay sighs. "You see Koda's staying with me now. But ever since his parents died, he's really grown a hatred of heroes. He blames people wanting to be a hero for why his parents didn't come back home, and when he saw that clip of your speech from the Sports Festival, it only made him hate heroes even more."
"Oh, the whole 'heroes sacrifice themselves and their families to save strangers thing,' ok, so?"
"Well, I was hoping you could talk to him about that, maybe tell him that what they did was right. I mean they saved dozens of people from that monster. They're heroes. So if you, the only hero he doesn't hate, and the person everyone is calling the 'true hero' says they made the right call, maybe he'd listen."
Horizon stops, causing Pixie-Bob to bump into him and stumble back a bit.
"Sorry," she says.
He ignores her and turns to Mandalay, "so let me get this straight. You want me to say that they made the right call. When not one, but both parents decided to die and orphan their kid, to save people they don't even know.
Did you not listen to anything I've been saying? About how people with families waiting at home shouldn't be heroes exactly because of things like this. And now what? You want me to go back on everything I said just because it's someone important to you?
The people close to you should always come first, and I'm sorry for what happened to him and his parents, but they knew exactly what they were doing, I just wish their kid didn't have to live with the consequences of it. 5
But the way I see it, I tell him they did the right thing and he becomes just like you, another person brainwashed by the hero-centric media propaganda to throw your life away and destroy your family for some losers on the street…absolutely disgusting. 6
Your people are supposed to come first, anyone else is an afterthought, parents should know that better than anyone. So no, I won't be talking to him, because at least now he won't grow up to throw his life away like them. He'll actually be there to see his kids grow up." 1
"How can you be so cruel!" Mandalay yells. "His parents, my cousin, they were good people, good heroes, real heroes! Don't you think every child should grow up knowing their parents were good and just people, that every child should look up to their parents as heroes! That's what I'm asking you to help me with!" 2
Horizon's voice becomes a low growl, causing a shiver to travel down Pixie-Bob's spine and Mandalay to take a careful step back, "I'm not lying about my beliefs just because it's convenient for you. Just be glad I was polite about it this time…" 7
He immediately begins walking away, leaving both women in the main building.
Mandalay was fuming, "how can that be a hero, he's such an…an…an ass." 3
Pixie-Bob looks at her friend, nodding along but the voice in her head couldn't disagree any more.
She agreed entirely but just didn't have the heart to start that catfight. 1
Then came Horizon.
The conviction and intensity in Horizon's words as he spoke the things she's wanted to say for so long, it cemented the idea in her mind even more.
'I need to find a guy like him…' 20
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 102: CHAPTER 098(Summer Training) 2
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Walking through the rocky training area Horizon is surrounded by a circus of students training. Everyone using their Quirks none stop, he sees Sero atop a small hill constantly firing off streams of tape non-stop.
Sato and Momo are sitting at a table eating sweets while constantly using their Quirks.
Mina is trying to melt a massive boulder while Jiro is standing slightly off the side talking to Eraser Head.
Horizon sees a set of massive gashes in the boulder away from Mina, 'so Jiro was constantly stabbing into the rock with her jacks. Since they're organic they should work like bone and heal to be stronger and more precise…Eraser must be giving her my suggestion about her heart rate.'
Sparing a few people a glance, and having a small chuckle at the sight of Uraraka inside a gain bubble ball rolling down a hill, 'training to fight the nausea of using her Quirk huh', he makes his way to the edge of the training area where the forest begins. 1
There he finds yet another member of the Wild Wild Pussycats. Yawara Chatora, Tiger, standing at 190cm -6ft3-, he had brown skin, lighter than the color of his particular Pussycat's outfit. Wearing the same crop top and skirt combo as the others. 2
He was slightly shorter and less muscular than Horizon, but the way he was treating his students and the looks on their faces clearly showed he was intimidating.
But after training with Arsenal, it takes a lot to rattle Horizon.
Approaching the small grassy clearing between the trees Horizon sees the man yelling at the Power Type students.
Or more accurately, Power Type student. Because only Deku technically fit that description, and the only other student in this training section was Hitoshi Shinso.
Both were in their PE Uniforms like everyone else, but Shinso was stuck training physically since nobody else could actually resist his Quirk, and he needed to catch up physically to Hero Course students. 4
Looking at him Horizon could see that he put on some muscle, nothing absurd like Horizon's gains but he certainly wasn't the lanky stick from the Sports Festival. He was also wearing a shorter version of Eraser Head's scarf capture weapon around his neck.
'Oh…so we have two Aizawas now,' Horizon thinks as he sees the bags under Shinso's eyes. 1
"C'mon!" Tiger screams at Deku.
One For All: 5%! 2
Deku launches a smash directly at Tiger's chest.
Using his Quirk, Pliabody, Tiger makes his body pliable and flexible, twisting his torso for the strike to miss. 1
"Too obvious!" Tiger yells as he connects a right hook into Deku's side, knocking him a few feet away into a tree.
Deku falls to the floor, and within seconds he's back on his feet, much faster than the first day of camp.
For everyone here, their 3 weeks of training have caused extreme improvements.
"Nice hit," Horizon says, causing all three people to turn toward him. "Atleast I think it was, hard to tell with how your Quirk works."
"Thanks," Tiger says as both Deku and Shinso stop training to listen in, then he immediately turns to them. "I didn't say you could rest! Pushups! Now!" 1
They both instantly drop down and continue.
"I'm actually here for Shinso, time for his Quirk training." 1
"Oh, alright, Shinso you're training with Horizon now." Tiger turns back to Horizon as Shinso gets up and dusts himself off. "So how'd you like your room?"
"It's great, honestly this entire resort is exactly what I needed after the last few weeks of Hero work."
"Mhm," Tiger nods, frowning as he knew what Horizon meant. "That last League Of Villains attack was despicable, honestly I was against you even leaving Tokyo to come here. And that was even before that attack happened, taking you out of the field just isn't smart.
But Principal Nezu insists on you helping them with their Quirks. Besides it's not like us Pro Heroes are helpless, and now the villains know that too after Endeavor incinerated the USJ Nomu."
"Yeah, but most people aren't Endeavor," Horizon says.
"That's true, but while you're a one-of-a-kind occurrence, you aren't the only powerful future Pro Hero in your class. In fact, I don't think UA has ever had a class with this much talent in it."
BOOM!
The sound of a loud explosion echoes through the training area as Bakugo starts training on the other side of the camp.
"Speak of the devil huh," Horizon chuckles. "Yeah, by regular standards there are some impressive people here, but nothing about me is normal, and that includes my expectations from people."
"That much I've overheard," Tiger says quietly. "Your classmates were worried about having you see them train, you really should work on your attitude, it'll make it much easier to have friends."
"Tch, if they're so worried about what people think then they're too pathetic to be around me anyway, just get better, it really is that simple." 1
Tiger frowns at that, "for some people it's not that easy." 3
"Whatever," Horizon turns around and begins walking away, "Shinso, c'mon…" 1
Shinso falls into step behind Horizon as they walk across the field, all the way to Ragdoll who was sitting on a stack of wooden boxes.
Sitting beside her was Toru, earning her PE Uniform, and they were both watching Sato and Momo constantly eating at a table a few feet away, seemingly chatting about something that was making Toru nervous. 1
As Horizon comes into view of everyone Momo immediately starts choking, scrambling to find her water. Not wanting him of all people to see her like this.
Sitting at a short table scarfing down a whole wedding cake with her bare hands while constantly using her Quirk…not ladylike at all. 1
But while she scrambles to wipe her hands and face and drink some water, Horizon walks past without even sparing her a glance.
"Toru, training time," Horizon says.
Toru just looks away and leans over to Ragdoll. 1
Ragdoll was the final member of the Wild Wild Pussycats that Horizon would meet, completing the set. She's also the person who came up with the idea for the group. 1
She was a short woman with long green hair and large eyes, with golden pupils. She wore a yellow version of the Pussycat's outfit and had pink whiskers drawn onto her face with makeup.
Toru fails to make herself small enough to hide behind Ragdoll before the woman hops off the crates and stands in front of Horizon.
"Hi there!" She says in an excited voice…far too excited for him to deal with at 8 am.
"Hey, I'm Horizon, I'm just here for Toru to start training."
"Yeah about that," Ragdoll gives him a sheepish look. "So before you start…could you maybe give her a small apology?"
Sitting nearby both Momo and Sato stop eating, suddenly becoming very worried for everyone involved. Shinso just stands back, not interested in any of this nonsense. 1
"Why would I ever have to apologize to her?" Horizon looks up to see Toru looking down at the floor, almost two weeks after he'd revealed he could see her and she hasn't been able to talk to him or even look at his face…visor. 3
"Well you embarrassed her," Ragdoll says. "C'mon just a small apology."
"Mmm," Horizon looks past Ragdoll and directly at Toru. "I don't owe you anything, and you'll never get one. And since I'm the only person that can train you to control that Quirk, either get over it and stop wasting my time, or go fuck yourself…" 12
Horizon turns and begins walking away, toward a spot he can use to train them, not even bothering to wait for Toru.
As he's a few steps away he feels a tingling at the back of his head, someone trying to make a connection to his mind. 1
He slowly turns around to look at Ragdoll, "Don't try that again."
She looks confused and scared, "why didn't that work."
"Because I don't want it to." 10
Ragdoll shakes her head, not understanding. Her Quirk, Search, allows her to make a connection to up to 100 people and save them in her mind, within the range of a few miles she can then locate them. This Quirk has no time limit, and if the about of people stored is reached then the first to be added is replaced.
"It's for safety," Ragdoll says. "Everyone at camp has to be in my Quirk in case someone gets lost."
"I'll be fine, just stay out of my head…"
Before Horizon can even take a few steps away, Toru stops him, running up to him and Shinso.
"Wait!" she yells out. "Please, teach me how to control my Quirk!"
Horizon turns around to see Toru staring up at him with a determined look, forcing herself not to look away. "Good, now hold still."
"Wha–" Toru freezes as he puts his large hand flat across the middle of her chest.
"This is step one," he says before anyone can start yelling, holding her shoulder so she doesn't break contact. "Listen very carefully to me, your Quirk cannot be deactivated in your current state. Have you been doing the meditation exercises I suggested?"
"Mhm," Toru nods stiffly, eyes closed and blushing up a storm. Off to the side, Momo absentmindedly glared at the scene, angrily eating pieces of cake. 2
"Good, that makes you aware of this state, next I'm going to remove your heart." 3
"WHAT!" Toru screams out.
"Wait you can't do that," Ragdoll says, approaching to try and separate them. 2
"She'll be fine, this is what my Quirk does," Horizon says. "This will put her body into a kind of 'emergency power' mode. Right now her power consumption on her Quirk is so minimal that she's never even noticed it, but this should shut it down anyway."
He feels Toru breathing quickly, terrified of the idea. But she's so desperate for this. Desperate to have somewhat of a normal life. Meet a boy, fall in love, have a whirlwind romance, and have a family. And now she didn't have to wait to become a Pro Hero for someone to finally notice her. 2
"Mes," Horizon says, and out comes her heart. He cradles her with one arm so she doesn't fall and puts the Heart behind his back. All before her eyes open. 1
Showing someone their own beating heart always ends in disaster.
And everyone around is amazed at what they see, Toru Hagakure, short, slim, stacked, pale skin and greenish-pink long wild hair. 5
As she comes to her senses and looks down at her hands, the tears begin flowing, and they can't seem to stop.
"Ugh," Horizon drops her to the floor causing her to wince as Ragdoll rushes over. "Focus on your own body and get used to this state, then when I give you back your heart you should be able to mentally put yourself into this state." 1
The girl barely responds between sobs and Horizon just begins walking away, signaling Shinso to join him.
Shinso actually has a horrified expression on his face, seeing this on a replay is one thing, but witnessing Horizon remove a heart in person was downright horrific. 5
The already intimidating reputation and presence just seem that much heavier.
Off to the side, it took everything for Momo and Sato not to lose their lunch.
Sato quickly lost that battle, while Momo forced herself to hold it down, trying her best not to appear weak in front of her crush. 4
As Shinso falls into step behind Horizon he glances over to see Pixie Bob working with Juzo and a few others. But she gives him a small wave which he actually mirrors.
"Alright Shinso, let's get some actual training in…" 4
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 103: CHAPTER 099(Camp Gossip) 6
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
As the sun was setting and training was done for the day, Pixie-Bob eagerly volunteered to go find the final student, Horizon. 1
Aside from him, everyone else could be called by Mandalay's Quirk, but Horizon always has to be 'difficult'. 6
He'd completed training with Shinso hours ago and was doing his own training now.
In a small rocky area at the end of the training area, she sees him standing completely still with both his arms out. His hands clasped together as if he were hiding something between them. 3
'Hmm, I wonder how this is training his Quirk…' she casually strolls up to him.
And the moment she's within ten meters.
Taking that one step forward into his room she suddenly feels her foot get cold. As if she stepped into the winter season all of a sudden. 1
She immediately hops back, and sees Horizon turn to her, now sensing her as she entered his room.
"Are you ok?"
"Mmm, yeah," she taps her foot a few times to make sure. "I guess I should have called out to you, but I figured you'd just sense me walking over here."
"I was focused on something else," he shrugs and walks over to her, raising a hand to touch her shoulder. "Hold still."
As his hand touches her shoulder he does a full Scan of her body. Finding no damage from the sudden cold or other effects, and her body functioning perfectly…if only running rather hot.
"Ok, you're good."
"Did you just give me a checkup?" She gives him a slightly worried look. "Shouldn't you ask permission before that?"
"I try to keep certain things about my Quirk quiet, so I hope you can keep this between us. I can trust you, right?" She shakes her head, exasperated by his casual attitude about this, then nods.
"Alright, but only because you're a doctor, just don't do that to me again without asking first."
Horizon chuckles at that, leaning down to tower over her, getting much closer to her face. "Well it didn't tell me anything new, already knew you were hot, now I just know what the right spots are…" 1
Him being this forward with his intentions causes her to freeze, then she furrows her brow and shoves him back as hard as she could, forcing herself to take a step back as she couldn't move him.
She angrily stomps her foot and folded her arms, "I'm supposed to do the teasing!" She points an accusing finger at him. "Don't you know you're supposed to get all flustered and shy, this isn't cute at all!" She yells before turning and stomping away.
Horizon gives a loud and genuine laugh as he begins walking behind her. "You know maybe I should get you upset more often," he focuses on the unconscious sway in her hips as she's walking away. "This view is definitely worth it…" 4
Pixie-Bob freezes, gives an annoyed groan, then continues walking, not correcting her strut at all…
By the time they arrive back at the main building two hundred meters away Pixie-Bob has already settled down and is walking beside Horizon.
"So were you trying to make an ice attack, maybe something like Todoroki?" She asks.
"Not really, that's just a side effect." 12
"Oh, so what were you trying to do?"
"I'd rather not say, but you already know more than anyone else, let's just keep this between us."
"Oh yeah, no problem," she nods along happily as they continue to chatter.
Their arrival at camp isn't missed by many people, Pixie-Bob was always a ball of energy that had everyone drawn toward her.
And Horizon usually had a presence that could fill any room. 5
So when they walked into the clearing with her laughing at something he said, it earned an annoyed look from Momo.
An exasperated sigh from Eraser Head.
A glance from Jiro who just put her head back down and kept trying to ignore her feelings. 3
And an enraged, vicious glare from Mandalay, directed directly at her best friend.
"Ah–" Pixie-Bob winces as Mandalay uses her Telepathy Quirk to begin screaming directly into her head. "Sorry I need to help Mandalay with something, have fun cooking," she says before rushing off to follow Mandalay inside.
"Alright," Horizon doesn't pay it any mind as he looks about the clearing.
Lots of long picnic tables were already set up with raw food lining them. Classes 1A and 1B were trying their best to prepare their curry, and Horizon couldn't help but roll his eyes at how helpless most of them seemed.
"Hey, Horizon!" Sero yells out, waving to him from a table with Momo, Jiro, and Kodai. "You cook a lot, can you help us out man, we haven't made one decent meal since camp started."
Aside from Bakugo, all the other students look to him as their savior, finally having someone who can actually cook.
"You've got to be kidding me. None of you idiots can cook?"
Sero chuckles nervously, the only person willing to speak up at the moment, "well Sato just bakes, and Bakugo can cook but he sucks at telling us how to do stuff…Tsu cooks simple stuff, but since it's a lot of food it never turns out good."
"Great," Horizon walks up to the ingredients and takes a look. "Add this to the long list of things you idiots are bad at…anyway, just do what I say and we'll be fine…"
Twenty minutes later after Horizon tells everyone exactly how to prepare the food…and has to teach some basic cooking skills. 1
Kaminari and Ojiro are standing at one of the firepits after loading it with firewood.
"Man can you believe this," Kaminari says to Ojiro. "He's good at everything and can cook too…how are guys like us supposed to compete with that." 9
"Yeah, all I've got is a tail, not much to work with even before we were stuck in a class with him." 1
Kaminari sighs, "all the girls are gonna be all over him, there won't be any for us," he whines.
Ojiro awkwardly chuckles and rubs the back of his neck, "actually…Toru and I kind of, sort of, maybe said we liked each other a month or so back, and now that she thinks she can learn to control her Quirk she wants us to start dating…" 12
Kaminari freezes, "what!" he lunges forward and frantically shakes Ojiro by the shoulders. "How can you do this to me, she's like the cutest girl here!"
"Well, I didn't know that at the time! I just thought she was really cool and fun!" Ojiro pries Kaminari's hands off him.
Everyone notices this scene, and the other girls immediately look at Toru, understanding exactly what Kaminari must have now learned. The look in Mina's eyes told them that the girls' room would be filled with chatter tonight.
Approaching the duo Horizon turns to Kaminari, "why haven't you lit the fire?"
"Huh," he snaps back to his senses, "oh sorry man Todoroki is in the bathroom, we're waiting for him to get back."
"Just do it yourself, you're wasting time."
"Uh, I'm the electric guy, not the fire guy, Jolteon not Flareon," he says with a giggle. 2
Beneath his visor Horizon rolls his eyes, "no, you're just a retard, Takt," one of the pieces of firewood raise out of the fire and into his hand. 1
Placing it horizontally between his palms he focuses on his hands, "Counter Shock."
Both his hands begin to spark before the electricity begins traveling between his palms through the wood, a few seconds later it cracks slightly, then begins smoking, and suddenly he's holding a burning piece of firewood and drops it back into the firepit. 1
Everyone just looks on in surprise as Horizon raises his palm in the same manner and shows the energy leap from one to the other in small arcs.
"Wow, I didn't know I could do that…" Kaminari mutters.
"Tch, Electric and Fire Quirks are the most well documented after Strength Enhancer, learn to read, then pick up a book." 4
"But I can't do that," Kaminari says, copying the same motions and using electricity on both hands, but it refused to leap from one to the next.
"You just need to train more, you're the only electric type in our class and yet you're the worst electricity user…plus the girls you'll want don't want silver medalists, that should be motivation enough." 9
"Ouch," Ojiro says, feeling secondhand pain just from hearing that.
Horizon abruptly turns and begins walking back to his table to do the final checks on all the food they prepared. "None of you have entirely new Quirks, just learn from people who came before you. It's a lot easier than figuring it out yourself like I had to…"
Kaminari just sighs and deflates, "sometimes I really wish I could hate that guy," he then turns to Ojiro. "How come he's never so hard on you?"
"Well my Quirk is just a tail, he only gets mad when people aren't optimal or as strong as they could be…I don't have as much wasted potential since it's just a tail," Ojiro shrugs. "It's probably the only benefit to my Quirk being so boring, Horizon just ignores it." 7
Later while everyone is eating, Horizon is sitting with his usual people.
Sero, Momo, Jiro, and Tokoyami. But this time Kodai was beside Sero silently enjoying her dinner. 1
At the far side of the clearing Deku, Shinso, Uraraka, and Todoroki are eating together with a few others from class 1B.
"So you literally caught the building," Sero says in amazement as Horizon shows them his 'Yay!' profile, catching them all up on what happened since they started camp.
"Yeah, it's been a long few weeks. There were a lot of small time cases between Stain and the Nomu attack, then there was the warehouse of Trigger."
"I guess you really didn't need this camp huh."
"I'm mostly just here to train those two, and some fresh air is nice. We've got six more days here so I'm gonna try to get some training in too of course."
"Always striving to improve," Momo says as she finishes her food. "As one could expect from Horizon."
"Well my journey to being the #1 Pro Hero has already begun, no time to slack off now."
"I thought you said you didn't care about rank," Jiro says, finally speaking to him. Then immediately goes back to her food, trying to ignore him once more.
"Things have changed, that rank is useful. And honestly, where else would I be if not #1…the other spots just don't fit me," he shrugs. 1
After some more light chatter and everyone filling him in on how their camp experience is going, dinner is finally done and everyone starts packing up. Washing their dishes and heading inside to get cleaned up and enjoy the hot springs.
Yet as Horizon is sitting outside and scrolling through his phone, one person takes the seat opposite him.
"Shouldn't you be with the other girls," he looks up from his phone to see Kendo sitting across from him, her knuckles bloody and bandaged from today's training.
"I just wanted to talk to you, what? Can't I just talk to you?"
"Here to confess your boundless love for me, already?"
Kendo rolls her eyes, "you really aren't my type, maybe if you weren't such a jerk to almost everyone around you, but I just want to talk about something like that…"
"Did Sero finally tell Kodai he likes her?"
"No, he's still being all shy about it. All the girls already know, including her, so she's just waiting. But I'm here to talk about the other two…" 1
"Oh, that," Horizon puts down his phone to give her his full attention. "What about them?"
"Well since all the girls share one room here…it came out pretty quickly with who likes you, and now the other girls know that they like you."
"Still? Was what I said at the pool not enough? I really don't have time for any serious relationship stuff…"
"Trust me, we've tried more than a few nights to talk them out of it, but Momo thinks you're some kind of perfect faultless god–"
"Accurate." 8
Kendo stops and gives him an annoyed look, "and Jiro says she's over you… the poor girl is so deep in denial it's drowning her." 1
"What does this have to do with me?"
Kendo sighs, giving him a pleading look, "honestly, I don't think this will stop until it either blows up in their face or they get what they want…or whatever compromise you all make. But I'm just asking, as a friend, we're friends right?" 1
"I've never really had friends my age before…but I think we're close to it." 4
Kendo looks a bit saddened at that, "well, as your friend, because we are friends, please don't hurt them. Because Momo and Jiro are my friends too, alright?"
"Yeah, however this plays out, I'll be nice about it." 9
"Thank you," Kendo gives a polite nod and stands up to leave.
As she leaves Horizon returns to his phone, "teenage romance bullshit, like I have time to focus on that, I've got villains to hunt…" 25
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 104: CHAPTER 100(Camp Fun) 7
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Before sunrise Horizon is already standing in the training area, his Room expanded to the limit, reaching 7km in every direction, just barely enough to touch the lowest clouds. 4
Wearing only his white and blue Horizon brand hoodie with the middle open to show off the design of his body glove, and a pair of blue shorts.
He swings his sword with perfect two-handed form, slashing at the clouds.
Sensing everyone getting dressed and waking up he feels the Pros already moving.
And he can sense Pixie-Bob approaching him, but she stops 20 meters away.
"You can come closer this time," he yells out to her without stopping his strikes.
"You aren't supposed to be outside without permission, you're lucky Ragdoll's Quirk doesn't work on you or you'd be in big trouble."
"I just like to get some training in without people crowding me, waking up early is the easiest way to do that."
"Sword training?" She asks, now standing just a meter away from him, eyes drinking in his physique, tracing every inch of the body glove.
"And Quirk training," he stops and turns to her, then points the sword at the closest cloud. "See that cloud?"
"Yeah."
"I was slashing it."
She looks more closely at the cloud, then turns back to Horizon. "But it just looks like a normal cloud, shouldn't it be like…split down the middle or something?"
"It's water vapor, cut smoke and it just reforms, it's the same thing. My cuts aren't air slashes so they don't push the cloud apart…I'm just practicing my range."
"You need more range than that? For what? You plan to cut the moon in half?" 18
"Just in case," Horizon shrugs. "Plus it helps me burn energy so I can sleep better." 1
"Oh, I usually have trouble sleeping too, want some help with that?" 7
Horizon freezes, then looks at her, not seeing any change in her excited demeanor. "Well, I figured we were at least a day or two from that stage, but sure…"
Pixie-Bob looks confused for a moment, then a look of realization dawns on her, then she just pouts. "I meant we could have a spar!" 2
"I'd rather not. My Quirk makes sparring boring in most cases, practicing my slashes burns more energy, no offense."
Pixie-Bob glares at him, "sounds like you're scared to fight a real Pro." 4
Horizon sighs, "well fine, alright, rules?"
"Well, try not to cut me up or anything like that, ok?" Pixie-Bob says while making some space between them, backing to 20 meters away.
"Ok, and how hands-on can I get?"
"As much as you want, but this kitty has claws and I will use them," she swipes at the air a few times between them. 1
"Worth it," Horizon says jokingly, and sheathes his sword. "Call it." 1
"Finally, let's see if you're all talk…FIGHT!" Pixie-Bob yells out.
Suddenly the palms of her cat gloves begin glowing blue as her Quirk activates. She bends down to plant her palms on the floor.
Using her Quirk Earth Flow she can mold dirt and rock to form objects or even golems to obey her command, or she can simply alter the terrain to suit her needs.
SHAMBLES!
Before her palms touch the ground to activate her Quirk, she swaps places with his sword and feels his large hands at her hips, holding her aloft in the air to face him. Feet dangling a foot from the floor. 1
"Counter-Shock!"
"Ahhh!" She screams, but nothing happens. "Huh?" opening her eyes she sees Horizon's visor just looking up at her, then feels his laughter reverberate through her as he tosses her just a foot into the air and catches her. 1
Holding her in a full and more intimate princess carry. "So, still think I'm all talk?"
"Mmm, no, you win," she folds her arms across her chest, surprisingly not bothered by the way he's holding her.
"I always do, I tried to warn you."
"But why didn't you shock me?"
"I prefer you how you are."
"How is that? Not fried?"
"Pretty."
Pixie-Bob stiffens in his arms, then sighs, "did this spar even do anything for you?"
He tightens his grip on her for a moment, making her much more aware of how close she was to him, "yeah, this is pretty fun, but if you're talking about helping me sleep, nope."
"Well let's see," Pixie-Bob turns to him and taps the side of her headgear, causing a few numbers to appear in her clear visor as the tint becomes slightly yellow.
"What's that supposed to be?"
"A high energy power reader, Ragdoll invented it based on her Search Quirk, it lets us lock onto energy readings if they're big enough. Todoroki and Midoriya have pretty good readings while their Quirk is active and in use." 1
"Oh, and what's mine?"
"Mmm, it's flat right now but I'm in scanning mode, just activate your Quirk and we'll see."
"Ok–"
BOOSTER SHOT! BOOSTER SHOT! BOOSTER SHOT! BOOSTER SHOT! BOOSTER SHOT! 3
"–Well?"
"Wow," Pixie-Bob was literally reeling back from the reading she was seeing. He'd dumped nearly half of his power in one go. "You're at 170…that's unreal."
"What's the record?"
"All Might, we met him once at the annual hero rankings ceremony, that was about nine years ago. He scored over a thousand, the scanner doesn't go that high so it broke." 3
"And my classmates?"
"Well, only Todoroki and Midoriya had readings that I bothered measuring since Kaminari has a set amount of AMPs he can hold. Todoroki got 70 and Midoriya got 50 while using his Quirk to spar with Tiger, but I think he can do more for a big attack."
"Huh, so even holding back I'm still using more energy than them. How do I get one of those scanners?"
"Oh, sorry it's Ragdolls Patent, aside from us nobody gets them. It could be dangerous in the wrong hands," Pixie-Bob gives him an apologetic look.
"Well I guess that makes sense, maybe I'll put in a request to–" Horizon suddenly stops talking and gently sets her down on her own feet.
Suddenly she goes from enjoying his warmth to standing on her own feet as if they weren't just sharing a moment, "what's wrong?"
"Company," he nods toward the woods where the others would soon be emerging from.
"Oh, right. Yeah if Mandalay saw that she would have yelled at me again…" she mutters.
"Again?"
"We don't have time to get into that," she says as they see everyone entering the training area, with Shinso making his way toward Horizon.
"Well we both have trouble sleeping, so you can tell me later." 4
Pixie-Bob gives him a mischievous smile before walking away, heading toward another day of training with Kendo and her other designated students.
–8 PM…
After everyone ate, another delicious meal thanks to Horizon, they all got cleaned up and half of the students came back outside to talk a bit.
Or in this case, play cards.
"Horizon!" Mina yells as she sits on the bend across from him, sliding to the side and shoving Sero down a seat or two so she's directly in front of Horizon. 1
"Mina."
"Let's play," she takes a deck of cards from her jacket and sets it down on the table. 1
"No." 2
"C'mon, it'll be fun, just you and me, we can make a small bet if you want."
"Uh-huh, a small bet," Horizon immediately figures out what she really wanted. "And if you win?"
"Oh nothing much, hehe," Mina looks toward a table where some of the girls were sitting with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I just wanna know who you think are the most attractive girls in our class."
"Right, so this is a game of truth with extra steps, and when I win?" 1
"How about I do the same but with the boys?" Mina asks.
"No, I don't really care about what you think about anything, how about after you see your hand on the first game I'll make my request." 1
"Deal!" Mina says. "I don't know many games but, how about this, each of us gets three cards face down. and the highest hand wins, ace is 1. We both start with 10 chips and first to 0 loses." 5
"Seems simple enough."
"Ready!" Mina says.
"Ok, deal the cards, then I'll think of something."
After Mina deals the cards she places the deck in the middle. As she was dealing Horizon checked his cards,
Queen of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds, and Jack of Hearts. A nearly invincible hand.
He only lifted them up slightly before setting them back down on the table, not wanting her to see the reflection in his visor.
As Mina sets down the pack she raises up her cards a few moments after he sets down his, a wide smile splits her face as she gives him a victorious look.
"You should just give up now," she says.
"Oh really, how confident are you in that hand?"
"I'm gonna win!" Mina declares.
"Ok," Horizon takes out his phone and types out something on the screen, then carefully shows it to her, leaving everyone around them completely out of the loop as they all watch the game unfold. "Keep this between us."
"What?! Seriously? C'mon!"
"If you're so confident then betting that shouldn't be an issue right," Horizon shrugs.
Mina gets a slight purple tinge on her cheeks and she gives him a sheepish look. "Alright, deal, you're on!"
"Perfect," Horizon takes another peek at his cards, after a few seconds he sets them back on the table face down. "I'll raise you all my points," he reaches forward and flips the top card from the deck.
This allows her to better estimate what was in his hand and alter her bets accordingly, but at this point it was useless. She had no choice but to bet everything to match him.
She feels her heart drop to her stomach, looking down at her hand, Queen of Hearts, Queen of Diamonds, and Jack of Hearts. A nearly invincible hand.
'No way, he can't have 3 kings, that's like…one in ten billion odds or something, he's just messing with me to freak me out,' Mina thinks to herself, unable to read Horizon through his visor.
"Alright," she says and flips over her cards. Revealing the Queen of hearts, Queen of Diamonds, and Jack of Hearts.
"You lose," Horizon says, flipping his cards to reveal 3 kinds, a perfect hand. 4
"WHAT! No way!" Mina jumps up to her feet and stares down in shock, "no way, rematch!"
"No, when camp is over you can pay up."
Mina opens her mouth to argue, but just shuts up and sits down, trying to at least keep some dignity.
"Don't worry you can take your time, the longer you take the better it gets anyway," Horizon says. "But this is what you get for going about it like this, you should have just asked.
In terms of who I find most appealing in our class.
Well, Momo is the hottest, but Jiro is the cutest by far. 3
Then Toru is cute but she never shuts up.
Then floaty follows Deku around like some pathetic puppy, it's still disgusting.
Then Tsu would be a lot higher, but I'd never let that tongue anywhere near me after seeing her handle rubble and people with it. 3
And lastly is you."
"Me?" Mina asks, looking slightly hurt by that.
"You'd be almost at the top, but…"
"Because I'm pink, and have horns?"
"No, because my trust issues and common sense demand I not put my dick in a potential acid fountain, that's all…" 16
Everyone, even Mina winces at that image, unable to argue with the logic in that statement.
"Next time you want to know something, just ask. I appreciate people being direct and not wasting my time, ok?"
"Yeah, thanks anyway," Mina gets up and quietly heads over to the girl's table, and a moment later they all head inside, likely to discuss the results she got.
After they leave Sero leans forward to Horizon, "so…what did you get from Mina?"
"I don't think she'd want me to tell anyone, sorry." 1
"Awe, c'mon, not even a hint?"
"Nope."
Sero sighs, "alright fine, but how'd you do that thing with the cards, 3 Kings, that should be like, one in a hundred million or something."
"It's 1:132,600. And all I did was use my Quirk, she never said we couldn't. UA Hero Course encourages Quirk use wherever possible, right?"
"Really, how, could you see her card like you sense people?" Sero asks.
"No, I can't do that. All I did was look at my cards, see I had a super strong hand. Shambles it so they swap with her cards without her noticing, then I kept shuffling the garbage hand she got until I got 3 kings from the deck. Simple." 3
"You did that without us seeing the cards move?" 2
"Takes a lot more focus but it's not impossible, now if you don't mind," Horizon stands up, sensing the teacher about to tell everyone to get to bed. "I need to go prepare for the rest of my night…" 7
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 105: CHAPTER 101(Late Night Chat) 4
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Stirring awake at night, Momo sits up and unzips her sleeping bag, feeling her head throbbing from all the training she's done today.
'Just five more days Momo, this is what it takes to be a great Hero,' she thinks to herself, looking around to see all the other girls scattered about the room on their sleeping bags.
She passes a hand through her long hair, currently down instead of in her signature spiky ponytail, and carefully gets up, using the moonlight to avoid stepping on anyone.
Wearing just a pair of pink shorts and a red t-shirt with 'Genesis' printed on the front, she arrives at the paper sliding door to the room and carefully opens it, taking a look back to make sure she hadn't disturbed anyone. 8
Scanning the room she sees Tsu tightly bundled up in her sleeping bag. Jiro is laying halfway atop Setsuna, and Toru and Mina sleeping atop each other.
Momo frowns slightly as she sees Mina, the girl had refused to tell them what Horizon won from her, but from her reaction, they all assumed it was something rather naughty. 3
Before she knew it Momo was glaring at Mina, a slight tinge of jealousy and envy bubbling up, but she just takes a deep breath and lets it go. 3
Mina only pulled that stunt with the card because of her own self-depreciation after all. The girl was sick of hearing Momo claim that Horizon would never be attracted to her and decided to go to the source. 2
Stepping out of the room and closing the paper door Momo makes her way over to the dining area, getting a bottle of water and making a painkiller in her palm to deal with the headache.
As she's walking back to the girl's room, however, she hears the sound of a door closing, coming from the lounge area of the resort.
Momo is immediately on alert, knowing that at this hour only Eraser Head and Vlad King would be up, but they always stay in one of their rooms to discuss training progress.
With careful steps she keeps one of her hands behind her back, ready to make a weapon if needed.
But as she slowly pushes open the door, she sees Horizon sitting on the couch, scrolling through his phone.
There was a half-eaten plate of cookies and an almost empty bottle of water on the coffee table in front of him, showing he'd been there for a while.
"Horizon?" Momo asks, causing him to look up from his phone.
"Yeah?"
"It's past curfew, you should be in bed," Momo says, entering the room and closing the door behind her.
The room was simple and comfortable with a door on either side, a waiting area of sorts for the resort.
"Says the girl that's awake," Horizon says.
"I just had to get some water, but clearly you've been here for a while, you should set a better example as our Class Rep."
"I'm working on something," Horizon says. "I'll be in bed in a few minutes, don't worry."
"Oh, hero work, I suppose that's a good reason," Momo nods along. "Very well then, goodnight."
"Mhm," Horizon just nods as she turns around and begins walking away, enjoying the sight of her with her hair down for a change.
But she stops at the door, as if frozen for a few seconds before stiffly turning and walking back over to him, "may I speak to you about something?"
'Ugh…seriously,' he glances over to the other door, already annoyed with Momo's bad timing. 4
"Sure, but make it quick please."
"Thank you," Momo takes a deep breath and scrunched up her face, focusing hard to gather her thoughts. "I like you," she blurts out.
"I know." 3
"Uh…" he can almost smell the smoke coming from her brain, completely caught off-guard by his response. "Really?"
"Since I'm not stupid, yeah, I knew for a while."
Momo just looks confused, "and did you also know tha–"
"That Jiro likes me too, yeah, all the blushing and stuttering among other things, not subtle from either of you."
Momo starts blushing exactly like he just said and begins playing with her hair, "well… I was wondering if…maybe we could…"
"Date?" Horizon puts down his phone to finally give her his full attention. "Is that what you want?"
Momo just nods, so nervous she couldn't even speak.
"Ok, so I assume you've gotten past and accepted everything I said at the pool then?"
"It's not what I imagined for myself, but yes," Momo says quietly.
"So you're ok with being with someone knowing all of that, plus the fact that my hero work is currently my first priority so I won't have that much time for you, really?"
"Yes," she says without even hesitating.
Horizon rolls his eyes beneath his visor, "and what about Jiro?"
"Kyoka?"
"Mhm, Jiro, pretty sure she still likes me too. And she's not just your first friend, but also your best friend. Are you ready to hurt her like this?
You're a nice and good girl Momo, I can't imagine you're ok with hurting your friend and ruining your friendship over some guy, especially for one that won't be entirely focused on you.
So, again, are you sure about this?" 3
Momo opens her mouth to answer, but after a few moments, she can't even speak.
She looks down at the table between them and her shoulders drop down, "I…I think, I enjoy things as they are, and I don't want anything or anyone coming between my relationship with Kyoka.
I'm sorry, but I don't think I can get involved with you like this," she says with teary eyes.
Beneath his visor Horizon just raises a brow, not sure why she's the one crying when he's getting 'rejected'.
"It's ok Momo, I understand, you just don't want anyone to get hurt," he says in a comforting voice. "Don't worry, we can all just be friends." 1
"Thank you," she bows quickly and rushes out of the room, just wanting to get to the bathroom and sob for a few minutes.
After she leaves Horizon just sighs and looks toward the other door, "she's gone, you can get back in here." 1
Pixie-Bob immediately opens the door and steps in, wearing a set of thick blue pajamas.
Just a moment before Momo entered she had gotten up to go turn off the oven, causing the noise that alerted Momo in the first place.
Walking over to the couch she casually drops back down into Horizon's lap, this time having her back against his chest. 3
They'd been up for nearly two hours just… 'talking'. 3
"So what was that all about?" she asks as he puts his hands around her waist.
"Wow, I didn't take you for the eavesdropping type Ryuko."
"I'm not, but I was already at the door when she started asking about dating you."
"I know, it's nothing major."
"Really?" She closes her eyes and leans back into him, "sounds like two girls in your class like you, they're cute, and good girls, why not ask one of them out? Or just accept her offer?"
"Well aside from the fact that everything I said to her is completely true, part of the reason is that I like the social dynamic of my class as it is. I've got enough on my plate, I don't need to add women to the list.
Getting into anything serious or a relationship where I'm stuck in a classroom with her four days a week sounds like an eventual problem.
Plus if something doesn't work out I'll be stuck with her for the next three years, no thanks."
"So you turned her down because of that?"
"No, she rejected me," Horizon corrects her. "I never rejected her, that could have caused her feelings or whatever to get hurt, and that could be another issue to make my time at UA annoying. I just pointed out why she shouldn't want to be with me." 1
She thinks about exactly what was said in that conversation and shakes her head, "you're like some kind of evil genius…" she mutters. 3
"How dare you," he says jokingly, "I'll have you know I'm going to be the #1 Hero one day." 3
Ryuko smiles, feeling his hands moving under her top and up her toned belly, "you know, usually when people say that I don't take them seriously, but I think you'll get there one day, honestly."
"It's an eventuality, especially with a Quirk like mine…" he says as Ryuko begins to moan and grind in place in his lap as his hands move up to her chest
"Mmmmhmmmmmm."
"Crap," Horizon says, causing her eyes to shoot open.
"What's wrong? Is it Mandalay?"
"Eraser is coming this way," Horizon says. "How about we finish our chat in my room…" 1
Before she can even respond he stands up with her in his arms.
"Yeah," she says, "we've still got a lot of talking to do." 17
"Shambles…"
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 106: CHAPTER 102(Friends and Teammates) 2
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
Opening his eyes Law couldn't see anything in the room. It was entirely pitch black aside from the small streak of light seeping in beneath the door.
Opening a small Room just big enough to cover the building Law focuses on his bed.
He was currently completely naked with Ryuko -Pixie-Bob-, wrapped around him in her best impression of a Boa Constrictor. 5
SHAMBLES
He warps his phone into his hand and holds it down, preventing the light from illuminating his face as he peeks at the time, just a few minutes before 5 AM, the Pros would be waking up any minute now, but at the moment he could sense them all sleeping.
"Ryuko, I should get you back to your room now," he says, giving her a gentle shake to wake her up.
"Mmm!" She groans loudly and pulls the covers over her head, tightening her grip on him. "Five more minutes…"
Rolling his eyes Law runs his hand down her back reaching all the way down to her ass and gets a firm grip on her, causing her to immediately wake up, then pulls her into him. "You need to get to your room before Ragdoll wakes up." 1
"Ugh!" Ryuko groans and adjusts herself to lay her head across his chest, moving her hand down his muscled chest and to the grooves between his abs. "I'm so tired, I'm gonna be sleepy all day."
"Thanks," Law says, his quiet laugh feels like a rumbling under her head.
She sighs and opens her eyes, only seeing darkness, unable to even spot an outline of his face. "Let me get my clothes and I'll get going."
"Well…we've got a few minutes, and I can warp you there instantly, lets's try to enjoy the morning, how about it?"
She raises up a bit and leans forward, bridging the gap between them and carefully using her hands to find his face to kiss him. 3
Instead of the passion and almost desperation in her actions last night, now she felt much more relaxed and comfortable, as if this was nothing new for them.
She pulls back and takes a deep breath, "and just so you know, I'm really really happy that the muscle look on your body glove wasn't just for show…I like these," she runs a hand down his abs.
"Well, that's a side effect of my training…but glad you like it, now, let's get our morning started…" 7
–5 Pm, 12 Hours Later…
At the outdoor cooking area, Pixie-Bob is in full Hero Costume helping Mandalay move some boxes of food around.
Transferring food from the freezer to the tables, for Horizon to direct the others to cook once again.
Setting down another box she follows Mandalay into the kitchen, only to have Mandalay turn around and face her, looking at her with an annoyed look.
"Um, is something wrong?" Pixie-Bob asks, not quite sure what was happening, and hoping it wasn't what she thought it was.
"So you just disregarded everything I said yesterday?" Mandalay folds her arms below her chest and glares at her friend.
"What do you mean?"
Mandalay sighs, "Ragdoll woke up a little after 1 AM, and she decided to check on everyone. Care to guess where her Search Quirk found you?" 3
Pixie-Bob feels a pit in her stomach, "wait, I can explain!"
"Save it," Mandalay raises a hand to stop her. "I'm not going to yell at you, I decided to spend today thinking about a punishment for you, but…with some convincing from Tiger, I've decided to let it go this time…" 1
"Really?" Pixie-Bob gives her best puppy dog eyes.
"Ugh, yes, really. Stop looking at me like that…"
"You're the best!" Pixie-Bob wraps her friend in a tight hug, but is immediately pushed away.
"But you can't let this happen again, got it?"
Pixie-Bob nods.
"Normally you know we don't really care to bother you about stuff like this, most summer flings we can ignore, but this one has to stop. Technically it's not against the law. But UA trusted us to teach these young heroes, not to have sex with them. 2
It's a complete breach of their trust and ethics, not to mention if this gets out through one of those chatty teens it could reflect poorly on our entire team. Your reputation is our reputation, remember that."
"Right," Pixie-Bob looks like a kicked puppy. "Sorry."
Mandalay sighs and pulls her into a light hug, "I know you've only been thinking about finding a guy and starting a family, and I know Horizon makes you feel special and happy, that's why I'm not being too hard on you for giving in.
But this has to stop, what you do after the camp is none of our business, but until then, just try to stay away from him for the next 5 days, alright?"
"Yeah, I'll stay away from him," she promises. 9
"I knew I could count on you," Mandalay says. "Now let's go get the rest of this food out there…"
While Pixie-Bob was dealing with her team leader and best friend, Horizon was having troubles of his own.
With everyone else filing out of the training area he was completing his final attempt at using his new move.
With both hands cupped together in front of him, he was shivering and shaking.
Around him for ten meters under the setting sun, small bits of frost could be seen scattered about the rocky floor glinting in the light.
There were lines in the frost, however, perfectly straight lines all pointing directly toward Horizon.
He'd spent all day to achieve this, he barely had enough energy to get this far.
He didn't have enough control to prevent the frosting side effect.
And now his body was aching, freezing, and exhausted.
"Argh," Horizon cancels his Quirk and stumbles back, nearly falling over from exhaustion.
Taking a few shaky steps he makes his way to a rock rising out of the ground and takes a seat, trying desperately to catch his breath.
His visor was coated in sparse bits of frost, and looking at his body glove he could see the same thing.
But quickly he felt the heat returning to his body, his shivering slowed and ceased a minute later.
And then he finally looked at his numb hands, they seemed completely fine.
Until he turned them to look at the palms.
The palm of both gloves was completely burnt away, exposing the blistered skin beneath with 2nd-degree burns eating away at deeper bits of skin, like a horrendous and painful rash. 2
"Great, so I can't do anything right with this new move, can't even protect myself from it, at least I brought my backups…one more thing I'll need to thank Mei for."
Taking ten minutes to relax a bit Horizon sees Sero approaching him, likely to call him to dinner since everyone else was already gone.
Looking at his palms he focuses his energy and heals them, as if they were never hurt at all.
That was the last of his energy unless he wanted to blackout, at least until he rests a bit.
"A month or two and I'll have this ready for use," Horizon mutters before Sero comes into earshot.
"Trying to replace Todoroki?" Sero asks jokingly, looking at the frosty floor that's already melting away.
"No I can't make ice," Horizon says matter of factly.
Sero looks confused at that statement, "does the ice you just made know that?" 2
"It's complicated, don't worry about it. Is the dinner stuff ready?"
"Yeah, but we can handle this one, it's burgers!"
"Oh thank god," Horizon says. "I need a shower and a nap."
Sero sits beside Horizon, taking a moment to rest his tired body too.
"So, how's your progress going?"
"With what, Yui or training?" 1
"Yes," Horizon says. 5
Sero sighs, "honestly I don't know what I'm waiting for with Yui either, but it just makes me all nervous thinking about it." 1
"Ok, so you're still a pussy, nothing new there–"
"Hey!"
"What about training?"
Sero huffs and just tries to relax, "it's been going good. I can make a lot more tape now, and it's a lot stronger and stickier too, plus I think with some more practice I might be able to make a few types, pretty cool right."
"Yeah not bad, now you just need to optimize it with precision practice and equipment, and maybe learn how Eraser controls his scarf thing."
"Yeah, but that's what the next part of this summer is for, right? Technical and precise Quirk use."
"Pretty much, just focus on getting your Provisional License, then we can do a few Team-Ups."
Sero looks surprised at that, "seriously? I figured you'd be like 'I work alone,' or something like that." 3
"I do work alone, this isn't me asking you to form a team with me, it's just a Team-Up to show that I'm a capable leader. I changed my plan from being a great hero to being the absolute best.
All Might is strong, but Endeavor is strong and is a good leader, even with people he's never met before. If I can show everyone I'm a good leader and I'm super strong, then that #1 spot is already in my hand."
Sero nods a few times, tapping his chin and thinking it over, "and this way I'd get to be on your profile as Cellophane, that way I can start a personal profile and get a big boost in followers, right?"
"Exactly, just don't monetize it and you'll be fine."
"Nice, but uh, why me?"
"Unlike the other people in our class, you're useful and tolerable, that's a rare combination in my life." 7
"Uh, thanks?"
"You're welcome. But seriously, don't slack off on your training, if you're gonna embarrass me you can be damn sure we won't be teaming up. I don't have any time for people that will make me look bad."
Sero gulps nervously, "don't worry man I won't let you down!" he gives Horizon a wise smile and a thumbs up.
"I'm counting on you, Cellophane," Horizon reaches out to give him a fist bump, which Sero gladly accepts… 3
–3 Days Later…
Lying in his pitch-black room. Law is in bed with Ryuko laying on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. 17
Just like they'd spent every night since the very second, together, enjoying their summer fun.
"You should really try out the hot springs, atleast once. It'll definitely help you recover after training."
"Too risky, being out in the open like that, and I don't like getting the body glove wet."
"Well, tomorrow we've got something special planned, so nobody will be at the resort here. You can try it out then, no chance of anyone accidentally walking in on you." 1
"Really? What are you planning?"
"Well, since you guys only have two more nights here we figured a little friendly game would be nice. A Test of Courage!"
"What, like a dare?"
"No, you walk through the forest and each class takes turns scaring the other, we didn't involve you because you'd just sense all the tricks and ruin it."
Law can't help but laugh at that, "yeah that's true, it's really hard to surprise me, too bad you can't join me in the Hot Springs huh…"
Pixie-Bob immediately sits up, straddling his hips and planting both hands on his chest, still not seeing anything in the pitch-black room.
"Actually, we could go right now if you want, it won't be as good as directly after training, but I'd get to go in with you…if you want."
"In what world would I ever not want you in a Hot Springs with me?"
"Will I have to wear a blindfold?" she asks. 9
"Yeah, but don't worry, I'll keep you close to me…" 2
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 107: CHAPTER 103(Training Camp Results) 6
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
After getting cleaned up from today's training everyone sat around in the dining area outside.
With this mountain training camp about to end the girls were currently having a discussion about how much progress they've all made All the girls from both classes were sitting at one long table, with multiple smaller conversations happening.
"So you can really control it now?" Uraraka asks, looking at Toru sitting across from here, as usually since Horizon arrived the girl is completely visible to them.
"Yeah!" Toru says, and she immediately begins to flicker in and out of view. "Oops, it still does that sometimes when I get excited, but I got back my heart today and I've been practicing a lot." 7
"The Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!" Uraraka says, "people are gonna love you."
"Plus now you get to wear a costume instead of walking around naked right?" Jiro asks.
"Yeah, one of those skin-tight organic suits should work, a thinner version of what Mina uses! It's gonna be super cute…and pink!" 2
"Yay!" Mina yells out and pulls Toru into a tight hug, "we're totally gonna match!"
Both girls devolve into a fit of giggles.
"Oh, that reminds me," Uraraka says. "I need to go check out the Support Department when we get back to UA. I'm thinking of getting some super heavy stuff added to my costume."
"Like Tungsten weights?" Momo asks. "With you Quirk, they can be weightless until you throw them, but did your stamina increase enough to carry them around all day?" 1
Uraraka rubs the back of her neck sheepishly, "well, I'm not quite there yet, but we've still got another month before the License Exam so I've got some time. I pretty much focused on dealing with the nausea of my Quirk these past few weeks to improve my mobility."
"I'm sure you'll improve greatly before the exam, so your new equipment should provide a great boost to your combat power," Momo says.
As the girls continue to chatter for a few minutes, as the moon is high in the sky Pixie-Bob gathers everyone's attention.
Using her Quirk to raise a plateau of dirt under her for everyone to look up at her.
"Alright everyone, time for the Test Of Courage! Class 1B is up first as the scare team, so all of you come with me and everyone else waits here…and no peeking!"
"Finally!" Mina yells out, getting excited about the upcoming challenge as half the students begin following Pixie-Bob.
"Not you Ashido," Eraser says, drawing her eyes over to him, already standing beside him are Kaminari and Monoma, shoulders slumped. "Your nightly remedial classes aren't postponed because tonight is different, get inside, c'mon…" 2
"Awe, sorry Mina," Toru gives her a sympathetic pat on the back as the girl sulks and walks away.
After half of the students clear out the girls continue their chatter.
Meanwhile, at Horizon's table.
Sitting with Sero, Sato, Tokoyami, and Shoji, they were discussing only the most important and critical of topics.
"Sero, look," Horizon raises his hands and sighs. "What you just said, that war crime of an opinion to have…is fucking retarded." 4
"Hey! I think he's the best, I mean why else would he always be around," Sero says.
"He literally only looks…slightly, barely…just the slightest bit cool," Horizon says. "But you're telling me, in the year 2315, with over forty generations and thousands to pick from…you really think Charizard is the best pokemon. Seriously?" 56
"C'mon it's a good pick, right guys?" Sero turns to the other boys in the conversation, only getting weird looks from them. "Guys?"
"He isn't even a dragon type." 3
"He's been weak since generation 12."
Sero just gets beaten down by their words, "alright alright, fine, what's yours then?" he asks Horizon. 2
"Legendaries?" Horizon asks.
"Nope, everyone always pics Rayquaza," Sero says, and they all nod along. 9
"Ok, that's fair…probably–"
"HEY GLASS FACE!" Bakugo interrupts their essential conversations.
All the people present turn to see him stomping over to their table, being followed closely by Kirishima who was trying to stop him. In one hand was a tablet of some kind, and in the other was a baseball.
Horizon just sighs, expecting something annoying, "what do you want silver medal?"
"Mmmm, catch," Bakugo tosses him the baseball which he easily catches.
"What?"
"Throw it, as hard as you can, you're the only person here that's never done it, I wanna see how we stack up."
Horizon looks at the ball, then looks at Kirishima, hoping he can make some sense of this.
"Bakugo just got the top score again," Kirishima says. "Before you got to camp Yaomomo took the top spot, Midoriya got to second, but now Bakugo took back the top spot…but I kind of mentioned that not everyone was technically listed." 2
"And silver medal wants to see my score, great," Horizon lazily gets up. "What score am I gonna beat?"
"Check it," Kirishima turns the tablet to Horizon.
Bakugo-815m
Momo-780m
Izuku-770m
"Isn't floaty supposed to be here?" Horizon asks.
"On the official UA list, yeah, but this is just for friendly competition, can't really get better than infinity," Kirishima says.
Horizon shrugs, "so the score to beat is 815 meters, I didn't even do much training today so I don't even need to warp it."
"What? You think I can't catch up to you if you go all out?" Bakugo asks, words carried with a deep growl.
"Well, yeah, I'm already miles ahead of you. I improve faster than you, and I train harder than you. Get used to that silver medal," Horizon says as he takes a few steps away with the baseball. 1
'And why the hell would I tell you my exact maximum range,' he thinks to himself while winding up his pitch.
ROOM!
He forms a small room only 5 meters wide.
BOOSTER SHOT!
He focuses some of his energy on his body to boost his pitch.
Everyone looks on as he winds up his pitch, not expecting him to simply throw it instead of warping it away.
BOOM!
The ball shatters the sound barrier as it rockets through the cool night air. 1
Jiro flinches and grabs her ears, not expecting the sudden sonic boom so close to her.
As it disappears into the night people begin muttering, making their best guesses at exactly how far it would go.
BEEP!
The tablet goes off, indicating the ball stopped moving.
"Wow," Kirishima says, looking at it. "1170 meters…damn man."
Horizon just shrugs, barely feeling the energy use from that pitch, "figured I'd keep it reasonable. Plus I'm trying to take it easy tonight."
Bakugo just snatches the tablet from Kirishima and stomps off, and a moment later Horizon warps the ball back to them.
"Thanks man," Kirishima picks up the ball and rushes off after Bakugo.
"So you really weren't kidding when you said you were muscling up huh," Sato says as Horizon returns to the table.
"Oh yeah, in a lot of cases it's more economical and effective to just punch someone in the face rather than using any of my other techniques, figured it's an easy way to be more economical with my fighting."
"Is that why you look like a mini All Might?" Asui asks from behind Horizon, at the table with all the girls. "You really looked like him at the pool…with all the muscles I mean." 3
Horizon turns back to look at her over his shoulder, "yeah, like what you see Froppy?"
Her expression remains completely flat, unlike Momo who frowns at that reply, and Jiro who just keeps her head down. "Yeah, you look good, but you get ugly when you start talking, still a total jerk. Not my type."
"I'll get over it," Horizon says, turning back to everyone. "But yeah, figured there is a lot of merit in taking the All Might approach in certain situations. But the difference is I won't hit the same peak power as him, and even if I do my body won't be there for any other 15 years. 1
Plus I'll fight with a brain unlike him. The meathead tactics of 'just punch them harder' is really dumb."
"But it always works," Sato says. "All Might has never lost, so how dumb can it be?" 1
"Bad habits can get you good results, but that doesn't make them good habits. If you only focus on the outcome you'll never truly reach your full potential. It's like if you lift weights with bad form. Yeah you'll move the weights, but eventually, something will go wrong, bad practice with good results is still bad practice."
"Huh, I guess I never thought about it like that," Sato says. "So how much do you lift now anyway?"
"I bench about 2500lbs," Horizon says, as if it were normal for someone without a Strength Enhancer Quirk. "I don't think I can get much higher than that right now, but obviously it gets a lot better when I start using my Quirk." 5
"That's without your Quirk?" Sero visibly flinches at the idea of lifting that much weight, almost like lifting a 4-door car. "That's insane." 1
"I get that a lot…"
A few minutes later Pixie-Bob returns to collect the other students, leaving Mandalay and the others to organize the route for the Test of Courage.
"Alright 1A, let's get this started!"
As everyone gets up and gathers around Horizon turns and begins walking toward the main building, "good luck," he says offhandedly.
"You aren't coming?" Sero asks, causing everyone to look at them.
"Haunted house stuff doesn't really work on me, I can sense them, remember?"
"Oh, right."
"Yeah, plus we've only got tomorrow night here then we head out, I wanna enjoy the Hot Springs," Horizon shrugs.
"Wait!" Jiro says, obviously worried, already trying to hide behind Momo. Admittedly she doesn't do well with anything spooky or horror related. "But if you leave then one of us has to go solo, since that means our class is missing three people." 3
Seeing the girl obviously afraid Horizon just sighs, not in the mood to be dragged into this just so someone doesn't have to go solo.
"You're a hero, you'll have to deal with villains, and you've already fought some of them before. You'll be fine with some haunted house game," he tells her. "Being afraid is fine, letting it control you is inexcusable, you can overcome this." 4
"Oh…Thanks," Jiro nervously looks down at the ground as Momo gives her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Fear not madam," Aoyama speaks up, "I shall be the one to go alone, my dazzling style will keep me safe in the night." 3
"Good luck with that frenchie," Horizon says as everyone else gives Aoyama an exasperated look. 2
"Well now that everyone is ready, let's get moving," Pixie-Bob waves for them all to follow her. "And be sure to enjoy the Hot Springs Horizon, we've only got two more nights here so let's all make the most of them…" 1
Horizon can't help but smile at that as everyone begins walking away, knowing exactly what she meant… 4
END CHAPTER–
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Chapter 108: CHAPTER 104(First Encounter?)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"How is this so much better than my hot tub…" Law mutters as he relaxes in the Hot Spring.
At the edge of the water with his back to the war stone wall, both muscled and tattooed arms were resting up at the edge of the pool. 1
His body was entirely exposed, with his body glove and visor nearby. His phone was playing soft music nearby, with a Room open for 25 meters in every direction, enough so he doesn't feel the strain while making sure nobody sneaks up to take a peek at him. 1
After a few more minutes Law checks his phone, seeing it's been almost a half hour since he got into the Hot Springs.
"This was a lot more fun with Pix–" Law stops scrolling as he notices something strange. His phone had no service.
"Huh, I thought it was impossible for Nezu's tech to lose signals…" Law says as he checks the setting.
ZZZZT!
Suddenly a bright and sparkling Lazer beam cuts through the Hot Spring, barely missing the main resort building.
"So much for relaxing," Law mutters as he warps out of the water.
Then swaps all the water on his body for his body glove and visor, and suddenly appears in full Hero Costume as he expands his room to 1000 meters wide.
SCAN!
He feels everyone still completing the Test Of Courage, but two people were elsewhere.
Ragdoll and Aoyama were far off course and separated from everyone else, in a dire situation.
"Shambles," Horizon suddenly appears beside Aoyama, staring down a green-skinned lanky Nomu, and a young boy in a black middle school uniform, wearing a gas mask and carrying two gas canisters on his back.
In his hand is an old-fashioned revolver, at ease pointing toward the floor, and a thick pink fog swirls around him, only a few inches from his body.
Behind Aoyama is Ragdoll, down on the floor and bleeding from her head, while Aoyama was stuck in a standoff with the villain and Nomu.
But everyone froze when Horizon arrived on the scene. 1
Unlike his previous encounters, this Nomu seemed completely unresponsive to anything around it.
'So I'm guessing this loser can't give it commands, so it's in standby mode…plus his Quirk is some toxic gas, not lethal since he has a gun. And he isn't immune to it because he has a gas mask…but I am. I guess he's just weak.'
"What's going on here?" Horizon asks, noticing the villain frozen in fear.
"I got lost and she came looking for me, but this villain attacked us!" Aoyama yells, voice cracking with almost every word.
"Twinkler, tell the others the League of Villains is here," Horizon says, seeing the villain's gun trembling, unable to even raise it toward him. "I'll deal with this…"
Both Aoyama and Ragdoll immediately disappear, swapped with rocks from the dining area.
SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES! SHAMBLES!––
Horizon swaps everyone but himself back into the dining area, leaving him and the villains staring each other down.
"So, how'd you find us?" Horizon asks.
The boy doesn't respond, only raising his pistol and opening fire.
One round is fired, yet it stops a foot in front of Horizon, held in the air by nothing.
A precise and wasteful use of Takt, but it always got the message across.
Horizon carefully and gently plucks the bullet from the air, holding it between his fingers as he walks up to the villain. 1
BANG! 1
Another bullet stops just inches ahead of him, echoing through the forest and helping Aoyama get his warning across.
And again Horizon plucks it out of the air.
By the time he gets to the villain, the boy is shaking, absolutely stuck with fear, revolver dropped to the dirt, staring up at Horizon as he towers over the villain. Over a foot taller than him and much larger.
"You have a name?" Horizon asks, his voice surprisingly calm all things considered.
"M…Mustard…" the villain stutters out.
"Mustard…gas, catchy," Horizon raises his hand with all the bullets and holds it out. "These are yours."
Mustard raises a shaky hand and collects the bullets. He doesn't dare take his eyes off Horizon. 1
Horizon, however, takes his eyes off the villain, looking across at the tall and lanky Nomu, "well, clearly you don't have the authority to command this thing…so let's make this quick."
"Argh!" Mustard chokes as Horizon grabs his neck, immediately and painfully strangling him, easily lifting him off the floor so they were at eye level with each other.
"Do you know anything about how this attack was planned?" Horizon asks.
He only gets the sound of choking from Mustard.
"Right," he reaches up and rips off the gas mask, loosening up his grip so the boy could speak. "I'll try that again, what information do you have? How many villains are here?"
"Just six of us, and some Nomu," Mustard barely gets out, feeling the grip beginning to tighten again.
"How did you find us?"
"I swear I don't know anything about that, please, I only joined the league to–" Horizon immediately begins strangling him again, not interested in any silly motivations.
"Counter Shock," Mustard's convulsing body is burnt by the strong current that completely knocks him out for at least a day. "Shambles," he swaps Mustard for Eraser.
"Horizon?"
"Six villains plus some Nomu, keep everyone at the main resort and I'll try to pick them off."
"Got it," Eraser says, and is swapped with a lone rock, sending him back to the others.
As Eraser disappears Horizon scans everything within his Room again, but doesn't detect anything aside from Mustard and the Nomu in front of him.
Because the others simply haven't received the signal to arrive just yet.
So he keeps his attention on his Room while turning to the Nomu standing beside him.
'Why would Shigaraki give a Nomu to someone, without allowing them to command it? Or without giving it a preset command, doesn't really make sense…'
He reaches forward and touches it, and it doesn't even react.
'Hmm, what is that? An antenna Quirk? Radio? Signal? I guess this is what's causing the signal drop in the area, and a Telepathy Link Quirk, weird combo…but useful.' 5
Horizon takes a step back and reaches for his sword, and the moment his hand touches the hilt.
"A-arsenal," the Nomu says in a broken raspy voice, and Horizon freezes, just for a moment. 1
INCISION!
He slashes it in two, pretending as if that word meant nothing to him.
Looking at the bisected corpse on the floor Horizon just sighs and focuses on everything around him, not sensing any newcomers.
And the moment he puts his sword away.
"Arsenal's son?" A voice echoes out from the Nomu, deep and haunting, but not the voice of the monster itself, this time using it as a puppet.
'No, that's impossible. I'm insulated. Nezu made sure nobody could know. Nobody can know! This is a bluff, a hard bluff. This can't be happening.' 5
"It seems we have much to discuss, doctor," the voice says again, and a small purple Warp gate begins forming a few feet away. "I find myself in need of a miracle. And as far as I know, only you specialize in such a procedure."
Horizon leaps backward and readies his blade, prepared to slash the Warp Gate the moment Shigaraki showed his crusty face.
But he never did.
Instead, the Warp Gate expanded to 8ft wide, and out stepped a tall man in a simple black suit with a white undershirt. 5
Standing at 225cm -7ft5-, even taller than All Might. And seemingly having an almost identical build, simply better hidden beneath the formal suit.
Horizon felt his blood crawl as the eerie presence made itself known. Nothing that he was paralyzed by, but the sense of danger he felt was new.
Real.
'This guy is making me nervous? What? Me? Why?' he questions, not understanding what was going on.
And looking into the black industrial mask with tubes connecting it together, he only got more confused. 1
But the moment the full body got revealed.
All For One, the incarnation of Evil. The would-be Demon Lord of Japan.
Horizon relaxed slightly, still on guard but now more confident against his foe.
'Oh… it's just him,' Horizon thinks, having been aware of this person for years. 1
"Finally a hero with a sense of class," All For One says jokingly, adjusting his tie to make his point clear. 3
Side by side they looked very similar, in three-piece suits, full face masks, tall and muscular.
Two sides of the same coin.
No, two sides of the same coin… 6
"I had no idea Arsenal had a child, how extraordinary," All For One says, standing only ten meters away with his hands at his side. 2
"…" Horizon doesn't answer at first,he shrinks his room down to only 50m wide, giving all of his focus to the newcomer, then simply raises his blade to point at All For One, "are you leading the League of Villains?"
"Oh, is that the game you'd like to play?" All For One asks, playfully, amused by Horizon attempting to avoid the question. "Alright, I'll play along, hero…" 11
END CHAPTER– 3
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Chapter 109: CHAPTER 105(Devil's Deal) 1
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
"Are you curious about how I know such things?" All For One asks, Horizon had taken an offensive stance with his blade facing forward, but has not bothered to strike as of yet.
"…"
"Ahh, so you don't feel like speaking, well luckily I quite enjoy the sound of my own voice," All For One releases a deep chuckle, receiving communications from the other villains directly into his head. 2
He focuses everything he has on Horizon, not taking any chances with this Mystery Class anomaly, just as Horizon is focusing everything on him.
Both completely ignored the fights that were about to break out, not particularly caring enough to look away to save anyone here.
Noticing this standoff wouldn't break All For One got to the point of why he's here.
"For the past twenty years, Arsenal has been doing quite a lot of contract work with me, but naturally not under this name. You may know me as, 'Mister Collector', yes?" 1
Horizon doesn't respond, but this matches exactly what he knew. There were no secrets between him and his parents, including who they do business with. While he doesn't know all of his mom's past contracts, he knows the most high-paying clients.
And this man is at the very top of that list, but he'd always ask for the corpses to be dropped off at certain places.
Heroes, civilians, and villains, all with unique Quirks.
"But I hadn't known she had a family, I've only met her in person once in fact, she was strictly professional and covert, but so efficient… it's a real shame she's locked away in Tartarus…"
Horizon's grip on his sword tightens, and All For One doesn't miss it.
"That's actually how I put the pieces together. After your grand reveal at the Sports Festival, I assumed your parents were dead and gone, but only a few days later…the lines within the Hero Commission were going mad, quiet calls pulling all the files they had on three particular people. 2
Horizon, Arsenal, and The Heart Thief…a heinous duo, and an up-and-coming hero, how strange."
"That doesn't prove anything," Horizon says. 2
"True, but I have friends everywhere, and they gave me everything they could find…including some very hidden reports about a certain swordsman doctor with a warping Quirk being arrested along with that duo.
How strange, but I must admit, Nezu did his job exceptionally well. I couldn't find a real name or face for any of you, and I couldn't even call you because he's so intertwined with you. That's why I'm here in person."
"We live in a superhuman world, coincidences can happen, and anyone can use a sword," Horizon says, still unknowingly avoiding All For One's lie detector Quirk. 1
"Very true, but we both know it was you, in fact, you've already confessed as much."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh come now," All For One gestures to the forest around them, and the dead Nomu on the floor. "As if the great and powerful Horizon would have allowed any villain to warp here, or not simply cut me down already, you're obviously smart enough to listen to what I have to say, and that means it must be true. Because if I didn't have leverage, you'd be trying to cut me into little pieces right now…"
The air between them becomes tense for a moment, then Horizon sighs, "what do you want Collector?"
"Well firstly, that isn't my true name, I am, All For One."
Horizon chuckles at that, "All For One? You're a fanboy? That's a myth, you named yourself after a myth?"
"No, it is my true self, but there are so many more benefits to hiding from the world," All For One raises his hand to the side and creates a small flowing tendril of water, then one of fire, then iron spikes from his fingers. "Enough proof for you?"
"Mmm, if you're really the 'Demon Lord', why hide from the world?" 6
"Oh, that's half the fun, I'm not ready to take over yet. When I do that humanity will unite against me, so I have to make sure I can fight them all. And besides, the greatest trick the devil has ever played on humanity–" 2
"Is convincing them he doesn't exist," Horizon finishes the quote. "Ok, so assuming you're real, what do you want?"
All For One cancels the Quirks and drops his hand, "a doctor."
"A doctor? Really?"
"Oh come now Horizon, you've obviously put the pieces together by now, All Might must have told you about our fight five years ago, that's why he was in such a rush to pass it down to you."
"So you're the villain that hurt him," Horizon mutters quietly. He sees a plume of smoke rising out of the forest far to their left but ignores it. "And pass what down to me?"
"Hmm," All For One is completely thrown off by this. "Ohhh, it seems I got some things wrong. But if you aren't it, then this is how powerful you are naturally…you Mystery Class people really are a different breed." 5
Horizon just keeps the sword ready, now even more on guard, giving the benefit of the doubt that this really was Japan's mythic Demon Lord.
"That disastrous fight didn't only injure him, but also myself," All For One says. "Now I need this mask to help me breathe, and I can't even hold anywhere near as many Quirks as I did before. My body is simply failing. It would take a miracle to fix me, from a genetic level upward."
"And I specialize in miracles, so you came to me."
"Precisely. I am the living embodiment of your correction on the Quirk Singularity theory, and I need you to help prevent it."
"So you're why they need to build the Nomu creatures, their test runs for making you a new body."
"And you can complete it, can't you?"
"I can do anything, and I assumed you'd want to have eyes and a nose again," Horizon says as he relaxes slightly.
All For One reaches up to his mask, "X-Ray Vision?" he asks Horizon.
"So what's the deal?" Horizon asks, ignoring All For One's curiosity about how he saw past the mask, not wanting to reveal Scan to him. "Blackmailing me?"
"You really think so little of me," All For One sounds genuinely offended as he takes an even more relaxed posture. "Arsenal was one of what society would call, 'a horrific and dangerous mass murderer', someone raised by her won't truly care about heroic nonsense.
The only reason you seem to care is because of whatever deal you've made with Nezu, I assume if you save a million people they get released, yes?"
"That's none of your business."
"True, and it simply does not matter," All For One says. "Because I need you to be willing to help me, because it won't do any good if my surgeon wants to kill me. And if the truth is revealed the government will likely execute your parents to prove that they don't play favorites.
And if that happens you won't be helping anyone. So I'll simply give you what you want. I will free them for you." 1
"How?" Horizon asks, he'd spent weeks thinking about this. But Tartarus's defenses would detect any changes within the prison the moment he does it. And with them molecularly bonded to the prison he can't warp them out.
They'd be executed the moment he tries anything, that's the standard procedure for all the cells in Tartarus, everyone would be killed rather than having anyone escape.
"I have friends everywhere," All For One says. "Shutting down the execution procedure would allow Gigantomachi and myself to invade the prison, free them, and recruit some new blood. But it would also reveal me to the world…and I'd rather remain dead for now."
"So it can't be done?"
"It can be, but you'd simply have to prove to me that my sacrifice is worth your favor."
"As if I'd operate before getting paid," Horizon says. "You bring them to me, safely, then I fix you. The operation itself should only take a week or two, depending on how many Quirks are in there."
"Really?"
"I can't transfer Quirks between people, but if someone is force-fed a few Quirks I can make it act as one."
"You've considered this before?" All For One asks.
"You keep sending Nomu after me, of course I studied them, but I'm guessing your Quirk isn't a Frankenstein's Monster situation," Horizon tilts his head a bit to show he's studying him.
"Oh, and how do you think it works?"
"Hmm," Horizon looks him up and down, then pauses for a moment to think about it. "Your Quirk works like a server and the other Quirks are just files on it for you to access. I assume you have mutation Quirks that give things like horns and claws, but even those aren't active since you haven't used All For One to trigger them.
And All For One lets you cut and paste genetic code from person to person, but you can't make a copy of the Quirks, it's the basis of everything.
But the Nomu don't have All For One, so they have all the Quirks active all the time, and that's why they can't really think, right?" 1
All For One is genuinely stunned, including himself, only two people have ever understood his Quirk so well.
"Mmm," All For One gives an annoyed growl, "a perfect and intuitive understanding of my Quirk, you're much more dangerous than expected."
"I get that a lot," Horizon says. "So if we're done here, can you go collect my payment, I'd like this all to be over as quickly as possible."
"I'm afraid I still need proof before I reveal myself to the world," All For One says.
"And I never break a contract, so I'll at least need payment before I break this one…"
"Well that is unfortunate, we seem to be at an impasse, but there is one solution," All For One says.
"And what might that be?"
"I know you are proud, as am I, but I mean no insult by this."
"Hmm?"
All For One raises his hands, palms up to reveal the holes in his palms, "allow me to grant you power, to give you more power than you can naturally handle. If you solve the mystery of your own body, of your own mind, and should you survive I will gladly break the barriers of Tartarus and deliver your parents to you." 1
Horizon considers it for a long moment, this was an easy way out…assuming All For One could be trusted.
But that was the problem, if this person was the real All For One, then he definitely couldn't trust them.
Allowing him to make contact with those hands and mess with his body, and if they can't overcome or steal his Quirk he could simply be killed by one of the other dozen Quirks.
It wasn't worth the risk.
Hand Of God is far too valuable for either side to risk losing. 4
"Sorry," Horizon raises his sword, "but I'm never letting you mess with my body, when you get them then we can talk, and I'll do you the courtesy of not telling anyone about this…"
"Well that is unfortunate," All For One sighs, "but at least I don't have to be too careful, you can heal anything I'm about to do to you…" 6
All For One immediately raises his hands. 2
AIR CANON! 4
END CHAPTER– 2
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Chapter 110: CHAPTER 106(Superhuman Limits)
Discord: https/discord.gg/t7bHrdRY7Y
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene (30 chapters ahead)
CHAPTER START–
AIR CANON!
All For One sends a massive column of air forward from his hand directly toward Horizon.
SHAMBLES!
'Hngh,' All For One feels himself being knocked across the forest, immediately swapped with Horizon so the air slams into his back.
He gets ragdolled through a hundred meters of trees and dirt before he rolls and stops himself in mid-air, using Air Walk to stand above the ground.
Scanning his surrounding with his Infrared Quirk he sees the destruction his path caused.
'So unlike mine, his warping is instant and cannot be resisted, extraordinary…'
All For One staggers forward, passing a hand across his chest he feels his ultra-durable and expensive suit slashed.
And a moment later the entire torso of it is shredded.
The sound of trees toppling and rocks crumbling bombard him, his Vibration Sense Quirk replacing his ears, now alerting him to all the trees in this area being cut down.
Dozens of mad but targeted slashes of Amputate.
Back at their original location, Horizon sees his attacks cutting down the forest, and in the suddenly low-cut area is All For One, still hovering in the air, and slowly turning to face Horizon.
Reaching up he grabs his shredded jacket and shirt and simply rips them off, exposing his muscled torso, with massive scars all across it.
"Amputate!" Horizon sends an attack directly at his head, and shatters the mask.
"No," All For One grows sharp black tendrils from his arms with Rivet Stab and reaches out to grab all the pieces, his face -or lack thereof-now exposed.
"Shambles," Horizon wars all the pieces away, swapping them with random leaves. 1
"Trying to suffocate me!" All For One yells as he takes a direct approach, suddenly flying directly at Horizon.
AIR CANON! SPRINGLIKE LIMBS! KINETIC ENHANCER!
All For One stretches both hands outward at Horizon and releases two massive bursts of air. 1
SHAMBLES!
As expected Horizon warps away, but All For One reacts quickly, only losing track of him for a second before pointing a single finger at him.
LIGHTNING BOLT!
A bolt of black and red lighting crackles to life and shoots in a straight line toward Horizon.
It nearly touches his visor before he warps away again, this time on the other side of All For One, but only 10 meters away.
His sword was already lined up with All For One's brain.
'Injection Shot!' He fires a dozen shots, causing All For One to shake his head in annoyance.
Blindly swatting behind him he releases a gust of wind from his hand to clear the area, once again missing Horizon.
"Dragon Flame Breath!" All For One says as he releases a flamethrowing of red fire from his mouth, not aimed at Horizon but at the trees on the floor, setting them alight before he rises into the air. "That's enough using leaves to warp, don't you agree…" 4
All For One senses Horizon is still on the ground.
"Let's raise the stakes," he rockets down from the air and slams both palms into the ground.
The air from his impact stirs up the flames and spreads them further, then a new blazing heat spreads out.
"Magma!" beneath his palms the ground melts into bubbling magma as he flies back into the air.
And Horizon immediately takes to the air after summoning his Hoverboard, continuing their battle.
All For One is more grateful than ever that he abandoned his original plan. 4
As they constantly play the cat and mouse game, with Horizon using Amputate over and over, constantly switching his tactics as All For One is forced to use more and more Quirks and ware himself out.
Across the forest, the tremors from their battle are felt even while everyone else is fighting for their lives.
'Had I kept to my original plan, this situation could have been impossible,' All For One thinks as they continue fighting. 'Giving my original Quirk to Tomura would have left me with only the more physical Quirks, and physical Quirks aren't enough against Horizon…I need as many tools as possible to deal with him…' 3
After a few minutes of the fight raging on, the entire section of the forest below them was a raging inferno.
"Takt!" Horizon raises both his hands, raising every burning tree or loose rock for a hundred meters and sending it all at All For One.
As if they were attracted to a black hole pulling them in. 1
"Tough Scales Reinforce!" All For One's skin becomes even more durable as he forms lizard scales across his body and guards with his arms, feeling trees and debris slam into him from all sides.
The flames and lava were burning him, taxing his regeneration, but not enough to end the fight.
He was suddenly trapped, as if in a small burning planet hovering in the air.
"Absorption," All For One absorbs all the flame. "Strength Enhancer x12!" he flexes and spreads out his arms, knocking the tons of lumber and rock away with absolute ease.
Taking a few deep and exhausted breaths All For One feels his scars beginning to open, his Hyper-Regeneration was failing as his body became more and more sickly with every Quirk use.
He had to end this fight soon.
'Why can't this guy just fucking die!' Horizon thinks, seeing his plan working, pushing All For One past the limits of his sickly form, he warps close to All For One, deciding to change up his approach, knowing he too had a limit to how much he could do. 3
Finally he was getting the chance to go for a killing blow and silence this threat.
BOOSTER SHOT INCISION COUNTER SHOCK!
His sword was brimming with blue lightning as he slashes downward, seemingly catching All For One off guard as the blade connects to the side of his neck. 1
'Finally, he changed his approach, it only took a few minutes, thankfully' All For One thinks as he sets his Horizon-specific countermeasures into motion.
A strategy he and his own doctor spent much time developing.
'Static Cloak Energy Enhancer Multiplier Lightning Bolt!'
As the sword connects Horizon feels a sudden shock of electricity overload his body and mind, as his body is about to begin convulsing his Quirk shuts off, completely terrifying him. 2
His brain simply couldn't focus while flooded with current, exactly as Dr. Garaki suspected. Quirks that require such great focus can usually be dealt with in this manner.
'Amplifier Recoil!'
As Horizon convulses, before he can even begin to shake his Katana shatters along with the bones in his right arm, the damage was reflected back at him at many times the magnitude.
Pivoting on the air All For One swings out with a harsh backhand at Horizon's face, his right arm, unfortunately, gets in the way and is entirely mangled because of it.
'Strength Enhancer X2' the backhand connects and shatters Horizon's visor and jaw.
"Shakedown!" All For One gives the command, finally seeing his opening.
A hole appears on his shoulder and out comes a Nomu, grey and pale, only as large as a housecat, and it leaps directly onto the convulsing Horizon. 8
"NNNNNARRGJJHGHAHG!" Horizon's mind is overwhelmed. The current flowing through him causes pain and confusion every time he tries to activate his Quirk.
And the Nomu stuck to him as he was falling is constantly shaking all the particles in his body and connected to him.
Exactly as a microwave works by shaking water particles until they heat up, this Quirk does exactly that…but it also hurts the user.
As they begin falling the two hundred feet to the floor below Horizon's Hero Costume is completely shredded, his new body glove fares better but his skin below is ripped apart.
His guts only stopped from falling to the floor because the body glove was in the way. 4
His internal organs straining and trying desperately not to fail as he experiences pain like never before.
His left eye pops as the fluid in it is moving too much for the eyeball to contain it.
Had his visor not been broken earlier the splatter would have blocked his view. But now he was only wearing his balaclava mask, already matted with blood, only showing his right eye, his popped left eye, and his bloody mouth and missing teeth, jaw hanging lose, mostly kept in place by the body glove. 11
His Quirk constantly comes on instinctively to heal himself but is immediately shut down by his brain collapsing because of the current.
All in a matter of seconds before the Nomu shakes itself to death and becomes a useless corpse, falling to the fire below.
As he's about to begin falling out of the air properly, All For One aims his right palm at the hero.
'Air Canon Kinetic Enhancer!'
BOOM!
The final blast of air is fired, knocking him out of the air and into a new section of forest.
Finally getting a chance to breathe All For One takes a few deep breaths before levitating down to Horizon.
Finding a few trees snapped in half from his fall, a small trench carved out.
And the hero in question face down in the dirt, still awake, but convulsing uncontrollably as the current is still running through his mind and body.
"The single most powerful Quirk in the world…" All For One takes a desperate raspy breath as he lands and begins stumbling forward. "But when it's off, you're still just a human, weak to all the same things as a regular human…exploitable." 2
As All For One takes labored and careful steps forward, all his old injuries begin opening as his healing Quirks begin failing.
One by one he feels them becoming useless as his condition worsens. His muscles stiffen and his bones ache as he's quickly deteriorating.
Then he finally arrives at Horizon.
"Ngh!" Horizon tries to protest, finally feeling his mind free, but his body was failing. "Rng!" 1
He creates a Room two meters wide, the best he could do at the moment, forcing himself to twist his head and look up, All For One sees the blue healing energy trying to permeate his body.
Trying to fix his broken legs so he could get up, or maybe his jaw, or his eye, or one of the many ruptured internal organs.
"This will only take a second," All For One takes a knee in front of Horizon, leaving him on the floor as he palms his head.
ALL FOR ONE: Quirk Absorption! 1
Suddenly All For One feels resistance, unexpected from any Quirk aside from One For All.
'If any Quirk could resist me, it's his,' he thinks as he puts his back in it.
As if he was in a tug of war for his life, constantly trying to rip Hand Of God away from Horizon. Wanting to simply dump this Quirk before it kills him into a Nomu, then have Garaki use it to heal him.
'Damn it!' All For One struggles for nearly a minute, but no matter how much he tried he couldn't break past the Quirk, it simply wouldn't budge.
Unlike the genetic error caused when trying to steal One For All, this Quirk was simply defiant.
'Cloning this Quirk would likely be impossible, I'll have to change the plan again and revert it to what I said to him,' All For One gives one massive pull on Horizon's Quirk, trying to rip it out of him.
And as the struggle is at its peak.
ALL FOR ONE: Quirk Transfer! 1
"Energy Saver, Energy Enhancer, Energy Dynamo, Life Force!" he dumps the four Quirks that received the least resistance from Hand Of God and pulls away, rising to his full height and stumbling back. 17
"Uggrhmhhh!" Horizon groans as he begins to vomit up blood and convulse. Have a seizure from the sudden mental overload. 1
All For One just sighs, knowing it'd be impossible to imprison him at the moment, and doubling down his bets on Horizon healing him. 2
Focusing on his own body All For One gives more conscious thought to his healing Quirks, trying to look strong as his wounds kept opening to drench him in blood, until a minute later Horizon looks up from his puddle of blood with his one good eye.
"Energy Saver, Energy Enhancer, Energy Dynamo, Life Force. Those Quirks will do wonders for you, but you'll be dead before the next semester starts. If you solve the mystery of your own body and survive until then. I will bring them to you, and you will heal me, until we meet again, doctor…" 7
Sending his signal to Kurogiri, the familiar purple mist manifests around All For One and absorbs him, whisking him away to his doctor for a much-needed checkup. 2
And suddenly feeling the adrenaline in his system no longer necessary, Horizon blacks out for a much-needed nap, face down in his own blood.
Completely defeated… 29
END CHAPTER–
Another volume done, now onto the next. I'd really appreciate a review if you've made it this far. Feel free to hop into discord so we can chat or just comment any thoughts you've had thus far :)
